Punch reports that the crisis within the All Progressives Congress over the choice of candidates for the speakership and the Senate presidency of the 8th National Assembly deepened on Sunday as candidates not endorsed by the party’s leadership vowed to contest the elections on Tuesday.
Findings in Abuja on Sunday showed that the candidates – Yakubu Dogara (House of Representatives) and Bukola Saraki (Senate) had intensified lobbying the Peoples Democratic Party incoming lawmakers.
According to Punch, Senators-elect and their counterparts for the House of Representatives began accreditation for the Tuesday election at the National Assembly in Abuja on Sunday.
The immediate past Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, had at the party’s mock election on Saturday emerged the APC consensus candidate for the post of speaker. He polled 154 votes as against Yakubu Dogara’s three votes.
A total of 183 members registered for the mock election but the votes of four were declared as invalid.
Bukola Saraki’s group boycotted the primary conducted for senate presidency, but the APC picked Ahmad Lawan, who got 32 votes. (Punch).