4th July, 2023
By Emmanuel Mogbede
Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, says the party was not aware of the announcements of new principal officers in the National Assembly.
Adamu stated this while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja at the party’s national secretariat.
According to him, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) was not informed of the positions.
He dissociated the party’s leadership from the majority leadership positions announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
This comes before the party’s NWC went into a closed door meeting with governors elected on its platform on the agies of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) saying it was a rumour on social media.
His rebuttal was coming in the wake of reports that Akpabio had named Ekiti Central Lawmaker, Opeyemi Bamidele, as the 10th Assembly Senate Majority Leader.
The Senate President also announced Sen. Dave Umahi ( Ebonyi South) as Deputy Majority Leader, Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip, and Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the Deputy Whip.
“I am just hearing as a rumour now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.
“Until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions.
“So, whatever announcement is done either the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.
“We are going to formally inform you that we are going to have a caucus, and for quite a time, there has been no caucus in place,” Adamu said.
He added that the caucus had been reconstituted according to the party’s Constitution.
However, he added that the party’s NWC would listen to the governors on all issues, take their advice and work in compliance with the provisions of the party’s Constitution.
“We hope that we will be receiving some reports from the PGF, Chairman, or his representative, to get to know about your feelings and what is going on.
“And what is your thinking on what to do to improve the chances of the party and therefore reduce the problems and bickering that we have been hearing from time to time,” he said.
Adamu said the PGF would be provided the party’s detailed accounts from April 2022 to April 2023 which had been audited and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
NAN