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Barau Jibril counters Orji Kalu as Gov Umahi, Sani Musa join race
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Gagdi, Wase, Batera others eye Speakership seat
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi and Christiana Ekpa
Barely twelve weeks to the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, all things being equal, the jostling over who emerges the President of Senate and Speaker, House of Representatives is already unfolding some interesting dimensions.
In both chambers, there is intense lobbying and horse trading currently ongoing, as lawmakers try to outwit one another ahead of the June 13 inauguration date. The National Assembly, in the past week, without allowing the dust raised by the 2023 general election to settle, became a centre of high-wire politics.
Our correspondents gathered that, just like when Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerged Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives respectively, lawmakers of both red and green chambers are clandestinely organising themselves into groups of like minds, though with no defining nomenclature yet.
•It’s my turn to be Senate President – Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu
On Tuesday, basking in the euphoria that the All Progressive Congress (APC) may likely zone the Senate President slot to the South East, as a measure for accommodation and healing, the current Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, who fielded questions from journàlists, said “It is my turn to be Senate President of Nigeria”, reminiscent of President elect, Ahmed Tinubu’s claim that ‘it is my turn to be President of Nigeria’.
Speaking further, the former Abia Governor said he was in support of the Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket of the APC which has produced Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Kasim Shettima as President-Elect and Vice-President-elect respectively.
However, he denounced the possibility of having another Muslim as Senate President because he said it will not augur well for the country.
“In a secular state, you will need to accommodate interests and spread to be able to maintain the secularity of the country.
“I believed in a muslim-muslim presidency, but I do not believe in a Muslim Senate President because it will not go fine for our country”, he said.
Kalu said, “I will not be comfortable with a Muslim Senate President because this is a secular state.”
Kalu said he was ready to run for Senate President if the party zones the position to his South East geopolitical zone because the party’s decision was supreme.
He said: “And So I will like the party to zone it to my zone, to my village in Igbere because President Tinubu needs people of high character to turn around the economy and work for the masses, make laws that will enable him to turn around the economy, because, I am an economic person, an entrepreneur.”
The former Abia state governor said he is the most qualified senator for the position based on Senate rules and his pedigree.
He said “The Senate has rules, let me be honest with you, if we practice true democracy, I should not be in contest with anybody, because apart from the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, and the Senate Leader, I am the next ranking member in the Senate going by the position I occupy today in the 9th Senate.
“It is virtually impossible that the Senate will elect or zone for a new member to the Senate. The Senate is an established institution that needs somebody with experience, someone with the skills that will be able to relate.”
He said President-elect Bola Tinubu, when sworn in would stand firm in giving good governance, and would also stand firm with the 10th assembly to amend the constitution to make for an electronic voting process and do away with paper works in elections.
•Senate Presidency is by competence, I’m most experienced – Sen. Barau Jibril
Swiftly following Orji Uzor Kalu’s briefing on Wednesday, Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Barau Jibril, apparently rejecting the claims of turn by turn made by Kalu, said the choice of who emerges Senate President is usually guided by competence and experience, rather than turn by turn.
According to the Kano North Senator, the choice of 10th Assembly Senate President should not be based on sentiments or zoning, adding that all the principal officers should also be selected based on competence and capacity.
Pointing out that he is the most qualified among the returning Senators and first timers, Barau urged his colleague to consider his competence rather than where he came from, asking “Do you now relegate competence for other sentiments?
“It does not work on sentiments; it works on your ability to do the job. It is the tradition all over the world. It is there in our rules and this rule is a product of our constitution.
“It is clearly in our Standing Rules too that aspiration or election for the Office of the Senate President shall be in accordance with ranking.
“And among those who are seeking to occupy that office as we speak, I am the highest ranking Senator. I’m the most experienced,” he said.
Barau explained that the person to be elected Senate President must be grounded in the parliamentary rules and procedures so as not to cause chaos during complex debates.
He promised to ensure that the interest of the nation is protected as Senate President.
•First time Senator-elect, Gov Dave Umahi, declares interest
Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi yesterday also declared interest in contesting for the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly when he addressed newsmen at the new Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki.
He said: “Let me also plead and request the leadership of APC and the President and Vice President-elect to please, for the sake of equity, justice, and fairness, zone the Senate Presidency to South East and the Speaker for the House of Representatives to the North West.
“This is for inclusiveness, and this will assure Nigerians that we are on the path for a total reunion. I am asking the Senate, National Assembly to set aside the rules so that we can get the best for the leadership of the Assembly.”
Urging the APC family to zone the Senate Presidency to the Southeast, Umahi said “I’m indicating interest.”
•Ahmed Lawan seeks to contest Senate President again
Ahmed Lawan, the current Senate President, was reported to have told some key power brokers in the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he is interested in retaining his position as Senate President in the 10th Senate, though there is fear over if Tinubu will wish to work with Ahmed Lawan, having contested against the President-elect during the APC presidential primaries.
If Lawan gets the buy-in of the APC power brokers, including the National chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, and the famous cabal in the Villa, he may clinch the position once again.
•Sani Musa declares through support group
Ahead of inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June this year, Campaign For Democracy (CD), has advocated the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the North Central geopolitical zone.
The pro-democrcy group maintained that the North Central deserved the nation’s number three position in the interest of fairness, equity and Justice.
CD, in a statement by its General Secretary, Ifeanyi Odili, in Abuja Thursday, explained that the North Central zone had been seriously marginalized in Nigeria since 1999.
Odili said, “The North-Central has been the most marginalised in the country since 1999.
“The Zone has not produced the president nor vice president of the country, and it was only proper that the zone should be allowed to produce the next Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.
“Some people are arguing that the South-East should be favoured in the interest of fairness, equity and justice, forgetting that the North Central has suffered the worst fate since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
“The North Central being the largest zone in the country in terms of landmass, has suffered the worst form of insecurity, partly because it lacked adequate representation in the nation’s highest political hierarchy.
“The zone especially Niger State, it’s people are known for partisan loyalty and since 1999 accounts for the highest voting pattern for winning presidential tickets. For instance in 2015 and 2019, Niger State accounted for the highest votes in the Presidential election in North Central Geo-political zone.
“Notwithstanding the unacceptable reoccurring decimal of not receiving commensurate compensation and attention, the North Central did determined to further contribute significantly than ever before by voting more for the APC given the promises and heightened expectations from the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the political icon of our time, in the presidential election with the 3rd highest vote tally amongst the zones in the country.
“There is therefore the need for a ranking senator from the zone to emerge as the next Senate President so as to effectively tackle the worsening insecurity in the North Central.
“Apart from this, the nation’s economy could be revived and transformed with appropriate legislation and the North Central has abundant natural resources that could be harnessed for economic development”.
He specifically mentioned the only returning Senator from Niger State, Sani Musa (APC Niger East), as the best choice for the job.
“When you look at the North Central zone, Senator Musa is the most ranking senator that should be supported by all for the position of the Senate President.
“What the All Progressives Congress (APC) should do is to zone the office of the president of the Senate to the North Central, so as to compensate the people for their massive support and vote in the recent Presidential and National Assembly elections “, he stressed .
•Sen. Bamidele explains determinant of 10th Assembly Senate President
Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), has said that the criteria for the emergence of the presiding and principal officers must be based on competence and experience.
He specifically insisted that ethno-religious sentiments must not be allowed to influence the election and selection of the presiding and principal officers of the Red Chamber.
Senator Bamidele, who is also the Chairman, Southern Senators’ Forum, spoke to journalists on Thursday in Abuja on the need to look beyond parochial interests already being canvassed by some Nigerians and those who had shown interest in contesting for leadership positions in the forthcoming 10th National Assembly.
He said: “Competence and experience are the issues that should be more important as we try to see those who could lead the 10th National Assembly rather than these issues being presented more as tribal, religion or religious rights of individuals or communities in the country.
“As lawmakers begin to tell the world of their individual ambitions or aspirations to be a part of the leadership of the Senate in the 10th Assembly, you also have a role to play in trying to stabilise and reposition discussions so that the real issues are not lost in pursuit of primordial interests.”
•House of Representatives witnessing fierce fight over Speakership position
The race for the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives is getting interesting as indications have emerged that the Chairman of the 9th House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi from Plateau state is making serious moves aimed at getting the Speakership seat of the 10th House of Representatives if zoned to North Central.
Gagdi, the 42 years old vibrant Plateau State federal legislature, second-timer in the House of Representatives seems to be the most talked about to become the next Speaker in the green chamber in the 10th Assembly.
His chance to lead the 10th House can also be brightened if the stakeholders within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as the House can succeed in convincing party leaders to listen to his arguments about zoning and the need to consider the North Central for the seat of Speaker.
According to a source at the APC National Secretariat, Abuja, the former Deputy Speaker of Plateau State, House of Assembly, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi is doing a lot to appeal to the party stakeholders and members of the NWC to consider his point on the need to rally support for the North Central for the next Speaker of the House.
Weekend Peoples Daily gathered that the party’s national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, being a leader from the zone, is expected to help convince other party leaders, as well as get the endorsement of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to support the zone to produce the next Speaker.”
With this development, it is believed that one of the leading contenders for the seat from the North Central zone, Chairman of the 9th House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi should be the favoured candidate if zoned to his region.
Sources within the House of Representatives are of the opinion that Gagdi, a young federal parliamentarian of many academic degrees may cause an upset in the race as a favorite amongst the aspirants from the zone, which included a female contender and daughter of two-time President of the Senate, David Mark, Hon. Blessing Onuh who is also warming up and carrying out consultations on her new ambition.
So far, it’s being suggested that apart from Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, other returning lawmakers across the country including the incumbent Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase are gearing up for the House of Representatives top job come June this year when the 10th Assembly will be inaugurated.
While both Gagdi and Wase are from Plateau State in the North Central, others such as Muktar Betara Aliyu and Aminu Sani Jaji are from Bornu in the Northeast and Zamfara in the Northwest respectively.
The contenders also include Hon. Tajudeen Abass and Hon. Sada Soli from Kaduna and Katsina States respectively, and the Spokesperson of the House, Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu who is from the South East and stands a better chance if the Speakership is zoned to his area.
Also, Hon. Babajime Benson (Lagos APC) and Hon. (Prince) Olaide Akinremi from Oyo State and others are eyeing the position of deputy speaker if zoned to their regions by the party leadership.
