The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) National Working Committee, chaired by its National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, met with some of the Senate President candidates on Tuesday along with Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, and other stakeholders.
Tinubu returned to Nigeria on Monday after spending roughly a month in Paris, where his team said he had gone to recuperate.
Following the return of the president-elect, the competition for the job of Senate President and other important positions in the 10th National Assembly, which has not yet been inaugurated, has become more intense.
Senators Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau, among others, paid Tinubu a visit at his Abuja house on Tuesday.
The APC National Chairman, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, attended the meeting, according to information obtained by The Quest Times.
The meeting was conducted at Tinubu’s house in Asokoro, Abuja, to commemorate the start of consultations by the former Lagos State Governor on the party’s pick for President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and other critical positions.
The APC is expected to reveal its zoning strategy for leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly this week.
There have been no fewer than 10 contenders for the Senate President position, while several members-elect have expressed interest in the Speakership of the House of Representatives.
However, the zoning of the seats was hampered by the absence of the president-elect, who was on vacation in Paris for 34 days, and the ruling party waited for his return before finalizing the zoning of the NASS leadership offices.
Sources at the meeting said the party was looking at South-East and South-South for the Senate President seat while the Deputy Senate Presidency might be zoned to the North-West.
The meeting is expected to be followed by a series of engagements with the NWC, APC lawmakers-elect and aspirants for the NASS principal offices.
Also in attendance at the Tuesday meeting were Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji; the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Opeyemi Bamidele; Senator-elect, Godswill Akpabio; the senator representing Kano North Senatorial District, Barau Jubrin; Deputy National Chairman for North, Senator Abubakar Kyari and the Secretary of the dissolved APC Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke.
Others include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajamiabila; former Nasarawa state governor, Tanko Almakura and former Senator for Benue North-East Barnabas Gemade; Senator Adeola Solomon, (Ogun West in the 10th Assembly) and Senator Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East).
Both Barau and Akpabio are contesting the Senate Presidency.