As the contest for the positions of Presiding Officers in the Ninth Assembly draws closer, lawmakers-elect are beginning to switch alliances.
This comes as contenders have adopted unconventional means in wooing their colleagues to vote for them.
BDSUNDAY observed that unlike in previous contests where aspirants lobby mainly lawmakers or the leadership of their political parties, campaign for the leadership seats in the incoming Assembly has taken the form of a general election.
These include: visits of contenders to headquarters of media organisations, use of campaign posters and banners in various locations in Abuja, using protesters to drum up support for them, campaigning through social media as well as placing advertisements in both traditional and online media platforms.
Checks by BDSUNDAY revealed that the two of the top contenders Ahmad Lawan and Ali Ndume, operate separate Facebook pages where they drum up support on a daily basis.
Feelers from both camps also revealed that the two major contenders may have concluded their media tours in Abuja and are set to hit the headquarters of media houses in Lagos anytime from now.
Meanwhile, the contest assumed another dimension last week when a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senator-elect, Abba Moro, endorsed Lawan as Senate President.
Speaking at an Iftar (Muslim Breaking of fast) organised for senators in Abuja last week, former Minister of Interior and PDP chieftain, Abba Moro, promised to woo more PDP senators-elect to Lawan’s camp.
“We will continue to meet until we realise the dream that all of us are committed to. I want to say that it is not over until it is over. For those of you who have been older in the Senate, you do know that in line with the dynamics of our system, this exercise, if people will want to continue to grandstand, we will go down to the wire. That means that all of us must work very hard to make sure that we elect our Senate President.
“I think that if all of us here and a few others that are still outside pick one friend or two to bring in to this meeting, there is no reason why we shouldn’t deliver. The job of our candidate is to accept to stand, the job of the rest of us is to ensure that we deliver. That is what me and my friends are committed to”, he said.
Other senators-elect at the event included: Remi Tinubu, wife of the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu; Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Abdulfatai Buhari, Robert Boroffice, Barau Jibrin, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, Abdullahi Adamu, Francis Alimikhena, Ahmed Babba-Kaita, Dayo Adeyeye, Tijjani Kaura, Abdullahi Gumel, Adamu Bulkachuwa, Ovie Omo-Agege, Ifeanyi Ubah among others.
On his part, Lawan disclosed that he will soon release his Legislative Agenda.
The Agenda, he noted, will contain the direction of the Ninth Senate if he emerges as Senate President.
He, however, added that he will send the draft to individual senators-elect for their input before the document is unveiled to the public.
He commended his colleagues for their sacrifice and dedication in identifying with his cause, assuring that everybody would be carried along.
“I am overwhelmed by the presence of everybody here. We went through this process before in 2015. And those of us who were there then knew the kind of sacrifice, commitments, dedication that everybody gave. But it was the will of God that it will not be and it was never. But we thank God for His blessings. We are still around and believing completely in His decision not to leave us at that time.
“Our colleagues here, everybody has shown commitment. We are seeking the face of God, His blessings, His mercies in this enterprise once again. We are human beings. We can only see the physical. From the physical, we can see there is a lot of success in what we are doing. The other thing that we don’t know is what God has kept to Himself. So, we will continue to pray for God’s intervention in this matter. And let me say that this is something that I personally feel that I have obligation to each and everyone here. And in fact, even those who are not with us at this time of effort to get to that office but of course, this is our campaign.
“In an enterprise like this, someone will start something but nobody here is a joiner. Everybody is part and parcel of the campaign team. What we referred to as campaign team was the initial take-off. But everyone should continue to give his commitment and whether we call meetings or have some interactions elsewhere, it is important that everybody plays that part. And that is the campaign team. It doesn’t mean that we one, two, three people who are in the campaign team and every other person is not. It is completely for all of us. And I pray that God Almighty in this very Holy Month will continue to guide us, bless us and put us on the cause that will make us realise this mission and show us the path when challenges confront us. I believe that together we can achieve a lot, not only for the National Assembly but for this country,” he said.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
