PRESS STATEMENT
APC ZONING OF THE 10TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: NO NEED FOR CONTROVERSY – IJI
There is no need for controversy over the zoning of the leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly by the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
It is to be noted that while reacting to the zoning of the four key positions in the National Assembly, announced recently by our party’s National Working Committee (NWC), the Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, in a widely published Press Statement, criticised the National Leadership of our great Party for taking the decision on the zoning of the said principal offices of the National Assembly, which decision was reached after robust debates and wide consultations among our leaders, in the best interest of our great Party, and Country, Nigeria.
In reaction to the Governor’s Press Statement, I hereby state as follows:
1. The NWC of APC enjoys the constitutional mandate to act on behalf of the NEC of the Party in taking decisions in between the NEC meetings. Importantly, the NWC is the highest administrative organ of APC which deserves the recognition and respect of members and leaders alike.
2. His Excellency, Arakunrin did not only openly criticize the NWC for taking such decision on zoning, the Governor went ahead to reject the NWC decision, and commended those aspirants who were disappointed or disfavoured by the zoning for protesting and encouraged them to engage in an untowards insurrection against the party on account of the said decision on zoning.
3. A highly placed and respected leader as the Executive Governor of Ondo State, should not be heard to make an outburst that is capable of oozing disparaging remarks about the leadership of our great party.
4. As a matter of fact, such a matter should not be a subject of discussion on the pages of the newspapers. Rather, it should have been attended to pleasingly. In fact, the Governor, as a leader of the Party in his own right, has an unimpeded access to the leadership of the Party, including the National Chairman and other National leaders and members of the NWC, as well as the President-Elect, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with whom he ought to have had private discussions to articulate his misgivings about the NWC decision. Apart from his private access to the leadership of the NWC, His Excellency, the Governor, has a very close and known access to the National Secretary of the Party, apart from the fact that Ondo State is being represented in the NWC by Barr. D. I. Kekemeke, the National Vice Chairman (Southwest), of the Party.
5. In the circumstance, the Governor acted out of disrespect to the constituted authority of the Party, and the opinions so expressed in the Press Statement do not represent the position of leaders and members of the Party in Ondo State, and at best, are His Excellency’s personal opinion to which he is is legitimately entitled.
6. It couldn’t have been otherwise but a private opinion because leaders of the Party in Ondo State were never consulted on such a position which runs counter to a valued effort and decision of the NWC to ensure orderliness in the affairs of the Party as we prepare for the inauguration of the next APC Presidency and the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
7. Given the rigorous efforts of the leadership of our great Party in resolving the zoning formula timeously, one would have expected tremendous plaudits to be accorded our National leaders for their temerity in nipping the quite sensitive issue in the bud. Therefore, the impression should not be allowed to fester that the efforts of the NWC and the National Leaders are being jeopardized by the Ondo State Chapter of the Party.
8. This is not the first time that the Governor would be acting against the decision of the NWC. Recall that in 2019, when the leadership of our Party decided to compensate those National Assembly members who, through their loyalty and dedication, helped to stabilize the Party and the government at the National level, the Governor, in a similar manner, rejected the NWC decision to give return tickets to the affected National Assembly members, and instead encouraged and sponsored his own preferred candidates to contest on the platform of an opposition Party. The said antiparty position of the Governor resulted in our Party losing 2 Senatorial seats and 5 Federal Constituency seats, as well as the Presidency to the Opposition in the 2019 Presidential and General Elections.
9. It is in realization of the need to prevent a recurrence of what happened in the 8th National Assembly, wherein a group of members of the party almost made the National Assembly ungovernable for our great party, that our leaders at the center of our Government have adopted this unique zoning formula to assuage the fears of most members. This, without doubt, has truly positioned the party for a greater exploit going forward.
10. APC as a progressive party platform, is an incarnation of discipline. Therefore, every leader and member of the party must not only imbibe the culture of discipline but also be seen to uphold discipline as our Hallmark. This is the progressive and right path to toe in our collective agreement to build a virile and sustainable party, of which we can all be proud, as doing otherwise will cheapen and denigrate our great party.
12. I am of the opinion that leaders of our party, no matter how highly placed, should work in concert with others to forge a common ground upon which issues can be resolved without necessarily causing an incitement that will result in a raging battle within the party.
13. As true Democrats, we should not expect all of us to view the decisions emerging out of the collective wisdom of the NWC and other eminent leaders of the Party, the same way. People are free and should be free to express their own opinions, and even criticise such decisions. Nevertheless, there are internal mechanisms within the organs and structures of the Party to channel such criticisms, without deliberately playing to the gallery.
14. His Excellency, the Governor, had complained about justice and equity. Let us assume that he loves to do justice and equity in his vantage and exalted position as the Chief Executive of Ondo State, I honestly think he should concede to the NWC similar wisdom and commitment.
15. I think we should all give kudos to the NWC and our prominent National leaders in the circumstance. In their wisdom, they fashioned out this workable zoning formula in view of the sensitive nature of the leadership positions of the National Assembly, and particularly the crucial role which a cooperating, supporting and friendly National Assembly plays in ensuring the formulation and passage of relevant laws to aid the Executive in the implementation of the life-impacting programmes of the President in line with our Party’s manifestoe, which will be in the overall interest of all Nigerians.
16. I am sure that going by his superlative records of performance in office as the former Governor of Lagos State, and in all the leadership positions he has ever held meritoriously both in the public and private sectors in and outside Nigeria, the incoming President, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will never preside over the affairs of a country bogged down by injustice to any person, or group of persons, on the basis of any political, ethnic, religious, or whatever any other superficial differences.
16. In all, I strongly advise all members of the Party, as well as the affected aspirants to the relevant positions, to see the wisdom in the timely intervention of the NWC in the zoning arrangement of the Principal offices of the National Assemblly as indicative of the performance to expect from the incoming administration.
17. I also call on His Excellency, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, CON, inspite of what he thought might be imperfections, to be rest assured that the fears which he expressed in his reaction to the announcement by our Party of the zoning of the key leadership positions in the National Assembly, would have been adequately taken care of by these eminent men in their rigorous and robust debates, apart from their wide consultations within and even outside our great party, before announcing the zoning arrangement. He should, therefore, rally support for the NWC instead of inciting the displeased aspirants against the Party and its leadership.
Long live our Great Party, the APC!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Signed
Ambassador Sola Iji,
An ex-envoy and South West Coordinator of the Asiwaju Tinubu/Shettima Coalition for Good Governance, ATSCGG.; Secretary of the Labour Directorate of the former APC.’s Presidential Campaign Council, PCC., former APC. Senatorial Aspirant in Ondo State; and Ex-Ondo State Chairman, successively of the defunct AD., AC., and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN., which fused into APC.
