The six different geopolitical zones are currently engaged in strategizing as the competition for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives heats up. Important political players in the regions are looking forwards to the release of the zoning formula that will be used by the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is currently in power.
Nevertheless, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), and even other mushroom parties are maintaining a keen interest in the developments as they unfold.
There are two conundrums: which region will give birth to the citizen ranked number four? Who will take over the role of Speaker next?
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Following President-elect Bola Tinubu’s return to the country after spending 34 days on vacation in France, intense lobbying continued throughout the week. Tinubu returned to the country on Sunday. In preparation for the election, those who are running for vice chairman of the National Assembly from the Northcentral region, along with other interested parties, are ramping up their consultations and mobilisation efforts.
Tunji Raheem (Kwara), Idris Wase (Plateau), and Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau) are three legislators from Northcentral who are running for the position.
They are of the opinion that the APC ought to maintain its commitment to the ideals of equity, fairness, and justice by zoning the position to the respective region.
The Gagdi campaign organisation believes that if the slot is allocated to the Northcentral region, it will serve as a reward for the faithful supporters of the APC across all six states that make up the region.
To this point, none of the hopefuls have taken the competition as a matter of “win or go home.” They have strong arguments in support of their zoning push. Despite this, they are willing to toe the party line once a decision has been made regarding the outcome. Due to the fact that they are all disciplined members of the party, not one of them has any intention of instigating an opposition onslaught in the Lower Chamber as a form of protest against any decision that is made by the party that is currently in power.
In the history of Nigeria’s legislature, the Northcentral zone has held the position of Speaker for the shortest amount of time—just three months total—than any of the other zones that have held the position. It has been held for many years by all of the other zones, with the exception of the Southsouth.
The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari won a second term, and the late Akkai Chaha Biam from Benue State was elected Speaker. This was the only time that the Northcentral held it. Between October and December of 1983, he served as president of the country before the military overthrew the civilian government.
Shortly before the country’s independence in 1959, Chief Jaja Wachukwu, who was originally from the South-east, was elected as the nation’s first indigenous Speaker of the House. In 1960, he passed the reins of power to the venerable politician Ibrahim Jalo Waziri, who was from the area that is now known as the North-east.
Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, who was from the South-east and belonged to the now-defunct Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), was the one who piloted the ship of the House between the years 1979 and 1983. A federal legislature was established during the Ibrahim Babangida military administration, but it did not survive for very long. The position of Speaker went to the South-east region. Agunwa Anaekwe, a representative from Anambra, held the position of Speaker from 1992 until 1993. This means that the South-east has held the position on three separate occasions.
Between the years 1999 and 2007, the position was centred in the North-west, and it was there that Salisu Buhari, Ghali Na’aba, and Aminu Masari held sway.
The South-west region benefited from having the slot from 2007 until 2011, during which time Dimeji Bankole and Patricia Olubunmi Etteh served as Speakers.
Aminu Tambuwal, the current governor of Sokoto State in the North-west region of the country, held the position of Speaker of the House from 2011 until 2015. Additionally, Yakubu Dogara, a lawyer hailing from the state of Bauchi in the country’s north-east, served as Speaker of the House between the years of 2015 and 2019.
Stakeholders in the North Central region believe that the region played a significant role in the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections for president and the National Assembly. In point of fact, the APC was victorious in four of the six states that make up the Northcentral region. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu received 1, 670,091 more from this zone in comparison to the 1, 190,458 he received from the North East. The party suffered defeat in the states of Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, and Sokoto located in the North-west.
A politician from Kwara, in an effort to justify the push for zoning to the Northcentral region, stated that it is in line with Section 14 (3) of the Constitution of 1999, in its amended form, which aids in the promotion of equity, justice, and fairness.
He made reference to the provision when he made the following statement: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few ethnic or sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies, in order to command loyalty and peaceful coexistence.”
He went on to say, “Taking all of this into consideration, the Northcentral region ought to be looked at.” Instead of focusing on the South Central region, the leadership of the APC should look to the North Central region. It is essential for national cohesion, unity, and development that the position be zoned to the appropriate area.
According to a party source who reflected on the agitation by the Northcentral, if the regional stakeholders present a joint candidate that is sellable and they lobby effectively the key organs of the ruling party, including the National Party Caucus, the President-elect, the National Working Committee (NWC), and other influential party leaders, their case will become stronger and the pendulum of zoning may swing to the region. This information was gleaned from reflecting on the agitation by the Northcentral.
