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NASS leadership: APC ditches zoning
More feelers have emerged that the APC may have actually dumped the idea of picking the leadership of the National Assembly by sharing the positions between the different geo political zones in the country, as opposed to filling them based to merit.
Indications to this effect further emerged on Thursday, when national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu told reporters that the party will not compromise merit, integrity, competence and character for zoning, suggesting, that the party has thrown the offices open to all contenders irrespective of zoning.
He spoke while addressing journalists at the Defence House, Abuja, shortly after his visit to the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
It would be recalled, that former acting national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande on Tuesday had also made the same assertion while speaking to newsmen in Lagos, that the party would not go the way of zoning in electing a Senate president.
Akande said that zoning is a creation of the PDP, which is alien to the APC, and not recognised by the party’s constitution.
Tinubu, whose name has featured prominently as backing certain candidates for the Senate presidency and speakership of House of Representatives positions, said the party must settle for candidates who have strong character and can deliver.
The APC leader insisted that zoning would not enthrone the best for the party and the nation, and stated that the selection process would be thrown open for all contestants just like the party did at its presidential primary in Lagos last November.
Tinubu said: “Merit will not be compromised: you have to be competent; you have to possess the kind of character, the kind of attributes to leadership; you have to be pan-Nigerian and be a very solid character to lead the National Assembly, and that is what we are talking about”.
According to him, every interested legislator should be allowed to aspire for the available leadership positions in the National Assembly.
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