Minority Seat: Tension In ACN As Akume, Solomon divide Senators-elect

ABUJA, May 26, (THEWILL) - The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is locked in a frightening leadership crises over who amongst its ranking senators gets appointed to the body of Principal Officers in the National Assembly.

The party is expected to produce the Minority Leaders in the two chambers having emerged the biggest opposition party by virtue of its performance in the last general elections.

But the leadership of the party is sharply divided at the Osogbo, Osun state, venue of the retreat being held for Senators and Rep members elect of the party.

Sources told THEWILL that the battle for the leadership of the Minority party in the two chambers has been fierce in the past few days.

Senator George Akume, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having been denied re-election ticket by the party is said to have taken the fight for the Senate Minority Leader position to the doorsteps of the popular choice, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon.

Akume is said to have wooed the party Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the former Secretary, Dr. Usman Bugaje and the incumbent Secretary, Senator Lawal Shuaibu to his side.

His argument according to sources is that the ACN should not retain the Majority leader seat in the South West, even though it won most of the seats in the zone.

He was said to have told Akande and others that retaining the Minority Leader seat in the South West would paint the party as a sectional party and that it could affect its spread in other parts of the country.

But sources confirmed to THEWILL that those opposed to the choice of Akume have told the party’s leader, Senator Bola Tinubu that picking Akume as Minority Leader would be disastrous for the ACN.

Those who know Akume were said to have told Tinubu and Akande that the Senator maintained an absentee status for most part of the outgoing Senate and that he never contributed meaningfully to debates since his defeat by Senator David Mark in the battle for Senate presidency in 2007.

It is however unclear how the ACN would resolve the power struggle amongst its legislators.