Three days from now, new leaders
of the national assembly will emerge after what is expected to be keenly
contested elections. Having won 65 of the 109 seats at the upper chamber of the
national assembly and over 200 in the lower chamber, the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) is going into the race with an advantage.
But there are signs that if the
party is not careful, the scenario of 2015 might play out again. In the 8th
assembly, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the
house of reps, teamed up with their colleagues in the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) to take out Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, who had the backing of the
leadership of the APC.
Lawan and Gbajabiamila still
enjoy the support of the APC leadership up till this moment but can that give
them automatic access to the exalted positions? In this piece, we look at those
seeking to be presiding officers in the ninth national assembly.
AHMAD LAWAN
Lawan is gunning for office of
the number three citizen. The majority leader has been described as “strong
ally” of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He
is seen as a major contender for office of senate president. The Yobe senator
is 60.
ALI NDUME
Ndume, senator representing Borno
south, is aspiring to be senate president but his ambition is contrary to the
wish of the APC. The ranking lawmaker comes to the table with some legislative
experience, having been in the senate since 2011.
He had earlier spent eight
years in the house of reps. The former senate leader was one of those who
teamed up with Saraki in 2015 against the wish of the APC. Many believe that he
is not pursuing his ambition “vigorously.”
KABIRU GAYA
Gaya, the four-time senator who
represents Kano south, has indicated interest for running for office of deputy
senate president. The works committee chairman has argued that the party ought
to zone the office to the north-west because the zone gave the highest number
of votes to President Muhammadu Buhari at the last general election.
Although
Gaya is an experienced lawmaker, many believe that he may not be able to pull
his weight to clinch the position in the ninth assembly. He is 66.
FRANCIS ALIMIKHENA
The APC has not formally zoned
the seat of the deputy senate president to any region but there are reports
that Alimikhena is favoured to clinch the position.
The 71-year-old from Edo
state has not formally declared his position to run for the office.
FEMI GBAJABIAMILA
Gbaja is a major contender for
the office of speaker. The lawyer is said to be backed by 178 members-elect for
the office of the number four citizen. Although, there have been allegations
that he was convicted for fraud in the US, the house leader and his campaign
team have repeatedly denied it.
Gbaja is an ally of Bola Tinubu, a former
governor of Lagos, a factor that his critics are saying could work against him.
MOHAMMED BAGO
Bago, a lawmaker from Niger
state, is seeking to take the chair of Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of
representatives, in the ninth assembly. The APC lawmaker has been a long-time
ally of the president, having been in the Congress for Progressive Change
(CPC), one of the legacy parties of the APC.
The lawmaker, who is in his 40s,
has been described as a frontline contender in the race for the office of
speaker.
NKEIRUKA ONYEJEOCHA
Onyejeocha is the only woman
seeking to be a presiding officer in the ninth assembly. The Abia lawmaker who
has been reelected into the lower legislative chamber is seeking to be speaker
of the house.
She moved to the APC from PDP to actualise her ambition. She has
promised not to step down despite immense pressure.
ABDULRAZAK NAMDAS
Namdas, spokesman of the house
and second-term lawmaker, has indicated interest to run for office of speaker
but the Adamawa lawmaker has not pulled enough weight to earn him the position.
Namdas was conspicuously absent at an event where speakership aspirants told
their colleagues what they intend to do if elected.
AHMED WASE
Wase had indicated interest to
run for office of speaker but later changed his mind. The deputy house leader
is rather opting for the deputy speaker’s seat.
Wase is now supporting Gbaja
for speaker. He is from Plateau state.
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