The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the party would resolve its in-house crisis over the choice of candidates for the leadership of the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly.
Speaking to Channels Television via the telephone on Tuesday morning, ahead of the election of the principal officers of the National Assembly, Mohammed said that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress has been “a honest broker” in the matter.
“The party’s position is very simple. We will not go to the floor of the National Assembly with more than one candidate for the post of Speaker and that of the Senate President. “What we did was the most democratic. We arranged for a straw poll where the members of the National Assembly elect will choose who will be their candidate. “There must be discipline in the party, at the same time, there must be cohesion in the party and this is what we are trying to achieve,” he said.
He revealed that efforts to ensure the resolution would continue ahead of the NASS election with President Muhammadu Buhari scheduled to address all APC House members-elect and Senators-elect today.
He maintained the party’s impartiality in its conduct of the June 6 straw poll from which Mr Femi Gbajabiamila emerged as candidate for the House of Reps Speaker, while Ahmed Lawan emerged as candidate for Senate President.
The supporters of Mr Yakubu Dogara for the position of Speaker were reported to have staged a walkout from the election, alleging that undue advantage was given to Mr Gbajabiamila enabling his supporters mobilize themselves in large numbers to ensure his emergence. The same scenario played out for the election of the candidate for the position of Senate President, which Senator Bukola Saraki’s supporters also boycotted.
“I think we are very much on track. We have not imposed any candidate on anybody, we’ve asked the people to choose their own representatives, our sole aim being that we will not go to the floor of the National Assembly with more than one candidate in the party,” Mohammed said.
He believes the APC’s move, rather than being tagged an imposition, should be seen as an act that epitomizes democracy. He reminded the lawmakers that they did get into the National Assembly as independent candidates but on the platform of the party, “If you could accept the guidelines for primaries why can’t you accept the guidelines for this straw election?” he asked.
He, however, said that if at the end of the meeting with the President, the lawmakers refuse to shift grounds and all decide to contest on the floor of the National Assembly, the party is “not short of options”.
