APC NWC Divided Over Sanction For Saraki, Dogara

                                          

              The All Progressives Congress is undecided on how to handle the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakuubu Dogara, for disregarding its directive on the choice of principal officers of the National Assembly.

Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that the party’s National Working Committee was undecided on whether or not Saraki and Dogara should be punished.

It was learnt that while some members believed that the party should handle the issue with care; others insisted that the Senate President and the speaker should be punished.

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The division among the NWC members had prevented the committee from taking a definite decision on the alleged anti-party activities by the Senate President and the Speaker.

Saraki and Dogara, had on June 9 defied the directive of the party by contesting the senate presidency and the speakership.

The APC leaders were particularly angry because the Peoples Democratic Party got the senate deputy presidency.

Saraki and his loyalists, among the APC senators, had boycotted a peace meeting the party had with its senators on June 9.

The meeting was attended by the rival group, Senate Unity Forum, led by Senator Ahmed Lawan, who was endorsed by the party as its sole candidate for the Senate President.

Saraki emerged as senate president unopposed when the meeting was going on at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The Senate President again on Thursday refused to announce the party’s candidates for the upper chamber’s principal positions.

The APC, had in a letter to Saraki on Wednesday, named Lawan as its choice for the Majority Leader; Prof. Sola Adeyeye as the Chief Whip; George Akume as Deputy Majority Leader; and Abu Ibrahim as Deputy Chief Whip.

The party also wrote Dogara and named a former Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader; Ado Doguwa as the Deputy House Leader; M.T. Monguno as the Chief Whip and Pally Iriase as the Deputy Chief Whip.

Saraki read letters from zonal caucuses tof the APC on Thursday.

The North-East caucus of the party nominated Senator Ali Ndume as the Majority Leader; while the North-West put forward, Bala Na’Allah as the Deputy Majority Leader.

The South-South caucus adopted Francis Alimikhena as the Deputy Chief.

In the House of Representatives, the refusal of Dogara to read the party’s letter threw the lower chamber into commotion.

The APC, had in a statement on Thursday by its Secretary Mai Mala Buni, insisted on its position and rejected the principal officers announced by Saraki.

Investigations showed that those who advocated a soft approach were of the view that if the issue was not handled with care, the PDP would cash in on the crisis and woo Saraki, Dogara and other APC senators.

But it was learnt that those calling for a punitive measure insisted that the party would set a bad precedent, if Saraki and his group were not punished.

A top member of the party, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said, “As of now, we have not reached a consensus on what is going on in the National Assembly.

“Some believe that taking a harsh stand will send the affected lawmakers away, while others are saying that they should not go unpunished.”

Another highly placed member of the party, who confided in Saturday PUNCH out of fear of retribution said, the party was keeping its next line of action close to its chest.

“What I can tell you is that the party will meet within the next few days and make its position on all these issues known,” he said.

When contacted. the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alahaji Lai Mohammed said, “No comment.”

But some state chairmen of the APC on Friday expressed sadness over the crisis in the National Assembly.