I don’t want to be remembered for my many fights — Obaseki

By Jide Orintunsin, Abuja

There were discordant tunes between the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Governors of the party over the new principal officers of the National Assembly announced at the two Chambers on Tuesday.

The Chairman, in a meeting with members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) led by its Chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, told the Governors the National Working Committee (NWC) was not a party to the announcement of principal officers by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

Adamu said: “I am just hearing 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 and the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.

“And 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 by the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.”

But at the closed-door meeting with the Governors, The Nation gathered the chairman’s position did not go down well with them, most of whom were caught aback by what they called an “unwarranted” outburst.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Uzodimma faulted the national chairman’s position on the Principal officers of the National Assembly, maintaining that the leadership of the legislative houses enjoys the support of APC Governors.

“Chairman never said that they are on their own. The National Assembly leadership belongs to our great party and they are members of our party, they are members of our party and they enjoy our support.

“If there is any way that there is a communication gap anywhere, we will make it up and we have our internal mechanism of resolving such things. The National Assembly leadership enjoys the support of the Progressives Governors Forum and our party. We don’t have any problem at all,” he said.

Governors at the meeting include Hope Uzodimma (Imo); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abdulrahman AbdulRasak (Kwara); Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti); Rev. Hyacient Alia (Benue); Diko Rada (Katsina); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Francis Ogobona Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Umar Namadi (Jigawa) and Umar Mohammed (Niger).

Others are Deputy Governors of Kaduna Haidza Balarabe and her Nasarawa counterpart Dr Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe.