Principal officers: APC governors intervene in face off between NWC, NASS leadership

Akinwande Soji-Ojo

The Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) has pledged to intervene in the conflict between the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leadership and presiding leaders of the National Assembly over the choice of principal officers.

Recall that the party’s national chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu had on Tuesday said the the National Working Committee (NWC) was not officially informed about the sharing of the offices in the National Assembly, describing the report of the emergence of principal officers as a rumour.

Adamu spoke during a meeting between the NWC and APC governors at the party secretariat in Abuja, hours after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas named principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.

But addressing newsmen after the meeting with the NWC, the PGF Chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, promised that they will resolve the differences between the National Assembly leadership and party’s leadership with the aid of the APC internal mechanism.

He said the governors believed the action was a result of a communication gap between the party and its high-ranking legislators.

“Don’t let us misquote him. The chairman never said that they (Akpabio and Abbas) are on their own. The National Assembly leadership belongs to our great party and they enjoy our support.

“If there is a communication gap anywhere, we will make up. We have our internal mechanism for resolving such things. The National Assembly leadership enjoys the support of Progressives Governors Forum and that of our party. We don’t have any problem at all.

“We congratulated ourselves in the way and manner the leadership of the National Assembly election was conducted. We now have a Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and his deputy who we are very confident will do well,” he stated.

The Imo governor also debunked the growing report that Adamu has handed the audited account of the APC for scrutiny ahead of the national caucus meeting slated for July 10.

“In the course of the conversation, the chairman did mention that in keeping with the Electoral Act, they (NWC) are working on having an audited account that will be presented at the national caucus meeting. It was just mentioned. It has not been presented,” he said.