• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Who becomes the next Senate President?

We’re not getting the best out of security agencies – Lawan

Intrigue, conspiracy, machination, collusion, allegations, counter-allegations, political horse-trading have trailed the battle for the leadership of the Ninth Senate.

BDSUNDAY reports that the Ninth National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) will be inaugurated in June this year after a Proclamation by President Muhammadu Buhari is read on the floor of the current Senate.

Although the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is in control of the incoming Senate, observers say if the APC national leadership and the party’s Senate Caucus fail to forge a common front on its choice of Senate President, the party could repeat the mistakes of 2015 where Bukola Saraki emerged as Senate President, against its preference for Ahmed Lawan.

BDSUNDAY reports that out of the 106 senatorial positions declared so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC controls 65 seats, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 41 lawmakers. The remaining three senatorial seats of Imo North, Imo West and Plateau South are yet to be issued certificates of return by the Commission.

Lawan

Ahmed Lawan, lawmaker representing Yobe North Senatorial District, and Senate Majority Leader (APC, Yobe) is a top contender for the position.

The APC lawmaker is unarguably one of the most experienced lawmaker returning to the Ninth Senate, having been at the two legislative chambers. As one of the longest serving federal lawmakers, he was first elected into the National Assembly in 1999 alongside immediate past Senate President, David Mark.

The 60-year-old Geography graduate of the University of Maiduguri, was first elected a member of the House of Representatives where he chaired the Committees on Education and Agriculture at different times. After eight years in the lower legislative chamber, Lawan took a shot at the Senate in 2007 and was elected.

The ranking senator enjoys the backing of the APC national leadership and the Presidency, as he was recently endorsed by the governing party.

To avoid a repeat of the 2015 scenario when it favoured Lawan for Senate President only for Bukola Saraki, then of the APC to emerge after trading-off with PDP senators, the APC has already met with lawmakers elected on its platform.

At a dinner held in Presidential Villa with APC senators-elect, National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, told them in unequivocal terms that Lawan had been adopted for the position of President of the Ninth Senate.

It appears the senator is already aware of the daunting task ahead including fifth columnists within the APC Senate Caucus, block votes from PDP senators, court judgements in Zamfara and Anambra States that could see the reduction of its numbers from 65 to 61 and increase in PDP control from 41 to 45.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja recently, Lawan disclosed that he is already in touch not only with senators-elect from his own political party but has also reached out to opposition members in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said: “We need the cooperation and support of everybody. I also believe that if we want to work with the Executive in such a manner that we can deliver good governance, first we need to achieve unity amongst ourselves”.

Flanked by other lawmakers, he added: “We are senators who believe in party supremacy. We believe in the leadership of our party. But the leadership we are seeking is leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly. So, it is very critical and crucial that we talk to our colleagues, convince them that we are the right people to lead the Senate and the National Assembly. We take nobody for granted. We believe that the crop of senators elected this time will be such a crop that we can achieve much more in terms of uniting ourselves and focusing on the real issues of development of making Nigerians experience very rapid and sustainable changes and transformation.

“We are not in any way thinking that we will start having some crisis. We are not even praying that that happens but our party, the All Progressives Congress, must have learnt its lessons. Therefore, I am sure the leadership of the party will do something differently. I am sure our leaders will try to manage this huge success of APC. And I have no doubt that the party will find us complaint and very supportive of the programmes of our party and our administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari”.

Ndume

Ali Ndume will be serving his third time in the Senate when the Ninth Senate would be inaugurated in June this year. The immediate past Senate Majority Leader was first elected a member of the House of Representatives in 2003. After eight years at the upper legislative chamber, the lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, took a shot at the Senate in 2011 and was elected.

Despite the APC’s endorsement of Lawan as Senate President in the Ninth Assembly, the senator has refused to back down.

He described Lawan’s ‘unilateral’ adoption by APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole as unconstitutional, adding that the right to elect Presiding Officers in the National Assembly rests with senators-elect and not with a political party.

Political commentators say his chances of emerging as Senate President remain slim considering the fact that the 41 PDP senators will not give him the necessary block votes. “PDP senators don’t trust him, especially after he became a fierce critic of Saraki after his removal as Senate President. Remember Saraki still wields a lot of influence from both PDP and APC senators,” a source told BDSUNDAY.

Adamu

Two-term governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, has also been tipped as possible candidate for the plum job. He currently chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture.

Like Ndume, the senator who represents Nasarawa West is not trusted by PDP lawmakers. In addition, he comes from the North Central geopolitical zone where the current Senate President, Saraki, comes from and this could be his undoing.

Goje

Although an APC senator, Danjuma Goje enjoys the support of his colleagues across the two major political parties. Unlike other candidates, the former Gombe State governor is seen as amenable and loved by his colleagues in his former party – the PDP. Observers say if the APC fails to put its house in order, Goje could be the joker, as the 2015 scenario could repeat itself.

 

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja