The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, said the party will liaise with the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, before going ahead to zone the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that he said this on Wednesday while addressing newsmen at the end of a four-hour closed-door meeting of the party’s National Working Committee in Abuja.
He said, “When we do the zoning meeting, we don’t just go alone as a party, zoning is to take along the person who has the mandate of this country, the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.
“We want to take him along, he travelled out of the country after the election and he came back only last week and we have to carry him along.”
Adamu added that the party would not interfere in any interest canvassed in choosing the persons to lead the two chambers of the assembly; whether its on zoning or individual interest.
He said that the party had to, however, find a way of persuasively reaching some level of consensus.
“That is what we are working on. It is not a one day affair,” he added.
Also speaking, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party was united behind Adamu in spite of speculation of crisis within its leadership.
He added that genuine issues raised by some of the party’s members were being looked into by the NWC.
On issues of zoning the leadership position of the incoming 10 National Assembly, Morka said the party was not in a hurry to arrive at such decision.
Morka said, “We looked at some internal and domestic house keeping matters with a colleague that you know who has expressed his concerns about something he believes the party should be doing.
“We deliberated completely about it, and as we speak, a committee that was set up to complete that conversation is in progress.
“The party stands completely united behind the leadership of our National Chairman, Adamu, and we are all standing together.
“The concerns raised by our colleague is being looked into, and I think in due course, we will have very specific conclusions of those concerns.”
According to Morka, zoning was a mechanism by which the party was able to make decision, saying it afforded those interested in competing for political positions to do so with a minimum rift or rancour.
He also added that zoning required very exhaustive consultation not just of the party’s leadership, but also of those who were aspiring.
“It is important that the consultation is done, and done properly, that is what is going on right now,” he concluded.
