A founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tony Momoh has said it is expected of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to take advantage of any loophole APC may provide in the ongoing politics surrounding elections of principal officers in the Ninth National Assembly.

Momoh, who spoke to The Guardian over current scheming between APC leadership and some of its Senators in respect of election of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, said it would be naive of anybody, even PDP not to look for ways to capitalise on the face-off between APC and its lawmakers.

It would be recalled that APC leadership expressed interest and directed its lawmakers to support Senator Ahmed Lawan from Yobe State as Senate President and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from Southwest as Speaker, while Senators Ali Ndume from Borno South and Danjuma Goje from Gombe Central have expressed interest in same position against the party’s directives.Similar scenario is playing out in the House, where some APC lawmakers have also indicated interest in the position of Speaker against party’s directives.

Momoh said the situation presents good opportunity for PDP to exploit, if the development is not appropriately managed between now and June, when elections of National Assembly’s principal officers would hold.He said: “The party has the right to express interest in whoever it wants to lead the National Assembly among its lawmakers, since it controls the majority. However, there is always a kind of spiritual affiliation that binds lawmakers, irrespective of their party affiliation immediately they get to the red and green chambers, such that it is always difficult, if not impossible for external interference to influence their position.”

Momoh said the party must understand that nobody is elected from his or her constituency as Senate President or Speaker. It is lawmakers’ responsibility to determine their leaders and principal officers. This is where lobbying and politicking comes in. He recalled how former President Olusegun Obasanjo preferred Chief Evans Enwerem, while lawmakers wanted Chuka Okadigbo in 1999. The politics of National Assembly got so messy that Obasanjo ended up working with five Senate Presidents from the Southeast.