It will be recalled that the 8th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 9, 2015, few weeks after 2015 general elections. Prior to this time, All Progressives Congress (APC), which was the former major opposition party, had constituted the government at the Central level, on May 29, 2015. Also, APC won majority of the seats at the two chambers, that constitute the National Assembly, and as it had been the practice of National Assembly over the years, the party with majority members will most likely produce the Presiding Officers.

It was however unfortunate that APC found it challenging to manager her victory at the poll, the party was unable to put her house in order and speak with one voice, as regards who were to become Presiding Officers, prior to the inauguration of the National Assembly. The visible divisions between APC lawmakers-elect made the APC leadership to organise mock elections for Senators-elect and Honourables-elect, to choose candidates of their choice, to be presented on the floor of Senate and House of Representatives respectively, on the day of their inauguration.

In the said mock elections, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila defeated Hon. Yakubu Dogora, to emerged as the APC proposed Speaker of the House of Representatives, while Senator Ahmed Lawan defeated Senator Bokola Saraki, to emerged as the APC proposed Senate President. Unfortunately, the defeated groups were dissatisfied with the process of the mock elections. They accused the party leadership of been partial and for not providing a free and fair atmosphere, for all interested candidates. The defeated candidates vowed to ignore the position of the party and contest for their respective offices in the main election on the day of inauguration.

In a bid to pacify the dissatisfied candidates, series of meeting were proposed, but all to no availed, until the day of their inauguration. In what appeared to be last minute fence mending step, the leadership of APC summoned a meeting of all APC lawmakers-elect on the day of National Assembly inauguration; a decision the APC National Chairman said he regretted until today, only Lawan and Gbajabiamila's factions honoured the invitation.

Unknown to the party leadership, the aggrieved members purportedly formed an alliance with opposition lawmakers, in which many believed there was a gentleman agreement between them, though, they have publicly denied existence of such agreement. While Lawan's faction were at the venue of APC proposed meeting, the other faction led by Bukola Sarski were in the senate alongside with opposition lawmakers-elect for inauguration.

Before Lawan's group would find their way back to the National Assembly complex, the did had already been done. Senator Bukola Saraki had been nominated unopposed and declared as the Senate President by the Clark of the National Assembly. While PDP presented Ike Ekweremadu to contest along side Ali Ndume of APC (Saraki Faction), for the office of Deputy Senate President. Ike Ekweremadu won the contest due to the fact that just a faction of APC Senators-elect were at the inauguration and the influence of the rumored gentleman agreement between Saraki's faction of APC and PDP lawmakers-elect. Hence, Senator Ike Ekweremadu emerged as Deputy Senate President.

Gbajabiamila's faction were even lucky to have participated in the House of Representatives elections, due to the fact that, the Clark of the National Assembly that was supposed to conduct the elections of their Presiding Officers alongside the Clark of the House of Representatives was busy at the Senate, hence, they were able to buy time to be available for their inauguration at the House of Representatives. But the election for the Office of the Speaker was keenly contested between Yakubu Dogora and Femi Gbajabiamila, eventually, Yakubu Dogora won the election while Yusuf Lasun became the Deputy Speaker.

Ever since then, the factions in both House of Representatives and the Senate have been at loggerheads, though members of the House of Representatives have been able to manager there differences to bearable minimum, the degree of divisions in the Senate is alarming. This division has manifested in the way Senators conduct themselves. And by extension, there has been a cold war between the Leadership of National Assembly and the Executive arm of government, despite the fact that must of them are from the same fold (party).

The said cold war played out on Ministerial screening, missing and padded 2016 Appropriation Bill ( budget), return of ambassadorial list, fraudulent amended of bills, forgery case against Senate Presiding Officers and the verbal accusations that follows, etc. As a matter of fact, the Senate leadership has threatened to do the needful to the outcome of certificate forgery case against Mr President. This is definitely not heathy for our tender democracy.

Impeachment of the leadership of the National Assembly may have been the cheapest solution, but the ruling party can not boast of two-third loyal Federal lawmakers in any of the two chambers. Hence, the burden to manage the difference of all factions within the party rest on the shoulder of the party leadership.

http://olalekanlawalblog..nl/2016/06/8th-national-assembly-leadership-apc.html?m=1

Buhari is to blame......He won d election but he failed to arrange things here in Nigeria before he travelled to UK. Hadn't been he was around thing would have changed. Funny enough he was actually behaving like a saint thinking he can work with anybody. But two things I know is that Buhari is economy clueless and politically not inclined though I voted him