Leading candidate for the Senate
Presidency, Dr. Ahmad Lawan took his campaign for the post to Borno State
yesterday where he met with stakeholders on his agenda for the Red Chamber of
the National Assembly.
Simultaneously, all the three
Senators-elect from Niger State yesterday pledged their support for his
aspiration, 24 hours after a similar endorsement by the three senators elect
from Kano State.
It was gathered that some
supporters of the other aspirants for the post – Alhaji Ali Ndume and Alhaji
Danjuma Goje – might be willing to push for talks with the Lawan camp with
a view to reaching a compromise in the
interest of their party, All
Progressives Congress (APC).
Sources said Lawan and his group
are leaving nothing to chances this time around so that they are not caught
napping as they were in 2015
They are reaching out to as many
groups and individuals who may have a say in who leads the 9th Senate.
The Senator elect from Ekiti
South, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has urged the leadership of the APC to open
discussions with Ndume and Goje to
assuage their feelings.
Lawan’s campaign team, The Nation
learnt, is concluding talks with a key aspirant from Northeast, a development
which may pave the way for a sole candidate for the headship of the
legislature. Discussions were held last
week in Abuja and “initial interactions show that in the coming weeks both
camps will have cheering news to announce to APC leadership and
Senators-elects.”
A source said an area being
ironed out borders on the fact that once the aspirant drops out of the race, he
will not be in contention for any principal officer position since both
Senators are from the same geo-political zones.
A source at the meeting said: “In
the light of the political reality, he came with a request that he should be
given the Chairmanship of Appropriations Committee for the consideration of
Senator Lawan and his camp.”
Lawan’s men, it was learnt,
pleaded for time to consult widely on the aspirant’s conditions. To this
effect, the national headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has
been briefed.
Lawan is the best choice to lead
the 9th Senate – Niger Senators-elect
In endorsing him yesterday the three senators elect from Niger
State said their decision followed due consultations and considerations and in
recognition of the supremacy of our Party’s position on the matter.
Mohammed Sani Musa, Sabi Abdullahi and Muhammad Bima Enagi said in a statement in
Minna that Lawan has the competence, charisma and integrity to preside over the
affairs of the Senate.
The Senators submitted that the
9th National Assembly needs someone like Lawan’s leadership qualities that will
facilitate in making laws for the good governance.
“His display of honesty,
sincerity of purpose, respect for divergent views, loyalty to and believe in
party supremacy as well as proven experience in the business of lawmaking makes
him the obvious choice for the legislature’s top job”, they said.
Sani Musa said:”There is no doubt
that Senator Lawan has also demonstrated stability, reliability and fidelity
towards ensuring sound and people-oriented legislation at the Senate as he
demonstrated in the build-up to the 2019 general elections where despite the
pressure from the opposition, remained resolute and committed towards promoting
the good course of the Senate as the apex law-making organ in the country.
“It is also worth noting that
Distinguished Senator Lawan is one Nigerian who has remained detribalized,
bi-partisan and accommodating to varying views as long as they are positive and
can add to the growth and wellbeing of Nigerians.
“He has demonstrated this in his
support for legislations sponsored by lawmakers who might not have been in the
same political parties with him at the floor of the senate.
Sabi Abdullahi representing Niger North Senatorial District said he was
optimistic that Lawan would “promote homogeneity of purpose at the 9th Senate
and foster unity among distinguished senators as well as other arms of
government, in a manner that will add value to good governance in Nigeria.
“I believe he embodies
outstanding qualities that are germane to the success of the 9th Senate and the
government as a whole. Therefore, I join my colleagues in endorsing his Senate
Presidency ambition.”
Muhammad Bima Enagi representing
Niger South said:” the need for effective, selfless and patriotic leadership at
the Senate has become imperative. I believe therefore that our party, the
ruling APC decision to endorse Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan for the
Presidency of the Senate is a wise and timely decision that has great benefits
not only for the party but for the next phase of governance as a whole in the
country.”
Adeyeye wants APC to discuss with Ndume, Goje, others
Senator-elect Dayo Adeyeye (Ekiti
South), said yesterday that it was important for the APC to dialogue with
Ndume and Goje in the interest of
everyone.
He told reporters in Abuja that
the APC should strike a balance between its interest and the feelings of those
who might not be favoured in the selection of process.
“It is a matter of give and take.
I think the leadership of the party should do well to assuage the feelings of
those who might not have been favoured in the selection process by inviting
them and let them see reasons,” he said.
“The interest of the party is
more important than individual interests. When we fight for, and protect the
collective interests, individual privileges and interests can still be met”.
Adeyeye acknowledged the right of
Ndume and Goje to aspire to be Senate President since they are members of the
APC and more so when the position had been zoned to their geopolitical zone,
adding that, “However, I think we can always find compromise”
He cautioned the opposition
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against fielding candidates for the President of
the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate, saying doing so would negate the
ethics and norms of parliamentary practice and procedure.
The first time senator, who was
the spokesman for the PDP until December 2018, cited the example of the United
States where the Republican Party, with only a slim majority over the Democrats
still controls the American parliament.
“In America as we speak today,
the Republicans are in the majority with three or four senators over the Democrats
in the Senate and yet nobody in the minority party ever contemplated nominating
any of their members to become the leader of majority.
“Because that will be against the
ethics and the norms of parliamentary practice and procedure. After 20 years of
democracy, we should start experimentation. By now we should start a proper
culture, ethics and norms of the advanced democracy
“We should be able to do what the
public expect should be the outcome of an election. Nigerians have given the
APC majority of the seats in the Senate, they therefore expect the APC to
control the Senate
“Nobody should therefore try to
subvert the will of the people by trying to play any game or causing any
division even among the majority party such that the will of the people, freely
expressed at the polls, could be subverted.
“I do not expect any member of
the PDP to come out and contest for leadership positions meant for the party
with the majority seats on the day of inauguration of the Ninth National
Assembly.
“All contestants on that day
should be APC members. Since Nigerians deliberately voted for the APC to
constitute the majority in the nation’s parliament with about 64 senators, the
contest for the leadership positions should be within the APC.
“The PDP should not interfere in
it. The opposition party should not produce any candidate and its members
should not contest on that day.
“That is the practice in the
advanced democracies. No minority party plays any game to take over the
majority when it did not win the highest number of seats during the general
elections.
“Even if the APC is presenting
the three senators to contest for Senate President, I do not expect that the
PDP will try to take advantage of the
situation by sponsoring one of its members to contest the position.
“We don’t want such attitude in
the Senate anymore. I think by now, we should have rules and develop proper
democratic norms and values that would prevent us from doing what is not
expected of us as a party and as members of a party”.
The senator-elect cautioned APC
members contesting for the position of Senate President against picking a
member of the opposition PDP as candidate for Deputy Senate President just to
leverage on bloc votes expected from PDP senators.
“I do not expect a person
contesting the seat of Senate President to make a member of the opposition
party, his deputy in order to win the election. That would be a total betrayal.
I expect that the party with the majority seats should produce the presiding
officers and the principal officers meant for the ruling party.
Meanwhile, a group, the Society
for Grassroots Political Participation, has urged adherence to international
best practices in deciding the leadership of both the National Assembly.
The group, in a communiqué after
its meeting, said adherence to internationally-recognised best practices would
save the country from the sad experience of the outgoing National Assembly.
The communiqué released in Ibadan
and signed by Executive Secretary, Sewaola Johnson, and the External
Communication Officer, Musbau Alade, urged senators-elects, Reps-elect and
political parties to ensure that “the foundation blocks on which other
programme and activities of the legislature are cemented by proven
parliamentary experience”.
It asked political parties to
“put forward experience parliamentarians for the leadership of our National
Assembly. Being a returning parliamentarian is not enough. Consideration must
be accorded past legislative accomplishments of those to lead other
distinguished Senators and honourable Representatives.”
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