10th NASS Leadership: Shettima, Zulum Furious With Betara

The contest for top leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly and the failure to zone principal offices has thrown the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) into a crisis.

According to Leadership, some members and stakeholders of the APC have vowed not to obey any zoning plan if it does not favor their region.

With the National Working Committee (NWC) yet to make its position known about the region to hold key offices such as Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker would be zoned to, members of the APC NWC are already torn along zonal lines in terms of who gets what.

Those contesting the Senate presidency are Jubrin Barau (Kano North) and former Zamfara State governor Abdul Aziz Yari (Zamfara West), from the North-West; the Senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa, from North Central; in the South-South, only former Niger Delta minister, Godswill Akpabio; from the South East, Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu; Ebonyi state Governor, Dave Umahi, who was elected to represent Ebonyi South, and another Senator-elect, Osita Izunaso.

Some leaders of the APC are pushing for the Senate presidency to be zoned to the South for a Christian to head the third position in the country since the executive arm of government would be governed by president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his vice, Kashim Shettima, who are all Muslims.

For Speakership of the House, Leadership reports that Aliyu Betara’s move to defy zoning has angered vice-president-elect, Shetima and the Borno state governor, Babagana Zulum.

Both are said not to be in support of Betara’s aspiration for the speakership.

But speaking with the platform, a two-time member of the House of Representatives stated that Betara has what it takes to face all odds.

He said: “But we have a nagging issue at the level of Borno state because it is clear that both the vice president-elect and the governor have vowed to stop Betara.

“We know they are not God; they are only afraid that Betara has what it takes to wrest political power from them once he emerges speaker of the lower chamber.”