Burying party supremacy.

Aminu Tambuwal, now Sokoto State governor, was re-elected member of the House of Representatives in 2011. His ambition was to be Speaker. His then party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saw no sense in his aspiration. The party’s reason was premised on the fact that the party had zoned the office of the Senate President to the North central and as such it would be unfair to have the Speaker also from the North. The party zoned the position to the Southwest and endorsed the candidacy of Mulikat Adeola-Akande. It was as though Adeola-Akande was coasting home to victory.

But, Tambuwal was able to rally the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) members and with their block votes, he defeated his party’s choice and emerged Speaker.

Fast-forward to 2015. The governing party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), did not use zoning but it endorsed candidates for the offices of Senate President, Speaker and others. Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara disagreed with their party and with the support of the opposition PDP, they carried the day. It was a major blow on the party on whose shoulder Nigerians have placed a lot of baggage.

In search of peace, the party licked its wound and accepted Saraki and Dogara. It feels the best way to balance the equation and move forward was to allow its choice for Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, to become the Senate Leader. It also proposes Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who ran against Dogara, as House Leader.

From fillers, Dogara has chosen to toe the Tambuwal path by accepting the party’s decision. Tambuwal, in deference to the party after initially rebelling against it to emerge Speaker, accepted his main challenger Adeola-Akande as House Leader.

But, unlike Dogara, Saraki seems hell-bent on defying the party. To him, party supremacy can as well be dead. Yesterday, his actions showed clearly that he was not willing to buy the party’s idea that Lawan should be the Senate Leader. His supporters argue that the Senate rules do not say the party should decide who occupy principal offices.   They say a provision in the rules only says the principal officers will be from the ruling party and not dictated by the party.

Today, Saraki is expected to unfold his choices for the positions. Chances are high that he will not go by the party’s decision. May be only one of the four recommended by the party will have his blessing. If that happens, then party supremacy, which APC governors argue in favour of yesterday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, may be on its way to the morgue. Dead.

The consequences? They seem better imagined.

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