Akpabio, Abbas in trouble as APC disowns Senate, Reps principal officers announced

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulahi Adamu, has denounced the appointment of the party’s principal officers announced by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Mr Adamu said the list of new principal officers announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the House Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, did not emanate from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Mr Adamu, a former senator, stated this during a meeting with APC governors on Tuesday at the National Secretariat of the party.

The Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), the umbrella body of all APC governors, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, led the governors to the meeting.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the senate president and the speaker announced the names of the new principal officers of their respective chambers at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday.

Opeyemi Bamidele emerged as the Senate Leader, while Julius Ihonvbere emerged as the Leader in the House.

Mr Adamu said the news of the emergence of some of the APC principal officers of both chambers is “a mere rumour” because the NWC did not approve such.

He said the NWC did not transmit any list to Messrs Akpabio and Abbas.

“I am just hearing as 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, the NWC, has yet to give any such information or communicate about the choice of officers.

“And until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing, which is the norm and practice, we do not intend to break away from traditions. So whatever announcement is done is not from this secretariat,” Mr Adamu said.

According to the Standing Orders of the House, the leader of the House is to be nominated by members of the party with the majority, not the NWC.

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“Leader of the House shall be a Member nominated from among members of the majority party in the House,” Order 7 reads in part.

However, political parties with the majority in both chambers have recently been involved in choosing their principal officers.

While it maintained the majority seats in the Senate and the House in the past, the then-ruling PDP NWC was also involved in appointing the principal officers. PremiumTimes