‘An imposition’ — CSOs protest APC’s nominations for n’assembly leadership positions

A group known as the Coalition of Pro-democracy Civic Society Organisations (CSOs) has condemned the All Progressives Congress (APC) for nominating the presiding officers for the incoming national assembly.

APC had nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and Abbas Tajudeen, a house of representatives member from Kaduna, as leaders of the 10th national assembly.

While Akpabio was nominated for president of the senate, Tajudeen was endorsed for the speaker of the house of representatives.

The party also nominated Barau Jibrin, senator representing Kano north, as deputy senate president, and Benjamin Kalu, a lawmaker from Abia and current house spokesperson, as deputy speaker.

The nominations have been faulted by lawmakers within and outside the party.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, Dauda Yakubu, a leader of the coalition, described APC’s move as an imposition of leaders on the national assembly.

He cautioned that those nominated might not enjoy the acceptance of their fellow lawmakers if the arrangement persists.

“We were shocked to read reports that the national working committee (NWC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has come up with a zoning template and even went further to rub salt on injury by attaching names to the positions of principal officers – senate president, deputy senate president, speaker, deputy speaker and all other offices of the national assembly,” the statement said.

“It is on record that the APC kicked against such an arrangement in the past, describing it as a hijack of democracy. It is therefore ironic that the persons in APC who rejected the imposition of leadership on the national assembly are either ominously quiet now or are the ones undermining our democratic tenets.

“The imposition of leaders is nothing but a coronation of some individuals who would not necessarily earn the acceptance of their colleagues, which implies that they also will not enjoy the acceptance of the constituents of their colleagues.”