ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The battle for the Senate presidency in the incoming eighth National Assembly appears to have heightened with the launch of a group called Unity Forum by some returning senators and senators-elect to tackle the growing influence of a group, ‘Like Minds’ loyal to Senator Bukola Saraki.
Recent reports have indicated that the former governor of Kwara State, Senator Saraki, might be coasting home with 65 senators of the eighth Senate said to have endorsed him.
Senators loyal to Saraki had launched the group christened ‘Like Minds’ to push his Senate presidency aspiration.
But another group of senators, which cut across the geopolitical zones, said on Friday that they had launched ‘Unity Forum’ in the hope of installing a Senate president with an “unblemished record.”
While the senators loyal to Saraki held a series of meetings at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, between Tuesday and Wednesday, Unity Forum met from Thursday night till the early hours of Friday.
A senator from the North Central, who claimed to be the spokesman of the Unity Forum, said the group was out to support a candidate that would carry every senator along in his leadership.
“We have mapped out a number of criteria to inform the emergence of the next Senate president,” he said, adding that Unity Forum had come up with criteria and agenda for a new Senate president.
The forum comprises ranking returning senators and senators-elect on the platform of the two major political parties in the country, the source said.
The forum said further at a briefing on Friday that the next Senate president must, among other things, be someone with high integrity who is ready to work with all senators, irrespective of party affiliations.
The forum also said that the next Senate president must have a deep knowledge of parliamentary procedures and practices and must be committed to the Nigerian state.
It listed further criteria for the new Senate president: “He or she must have recorded high level of integrity both in his or her public and private life. He or she must never have been convicted of corruption or implicated in any corruption cases.
“He or she must not have any allegations of corruption or corruption charges pending against him or her. Where such exists, the nominee in question must first ensure that he or she conclusively clears himself or herself of such allegations using existing official channels before the process of his or her nomination gets on the way, including before being presented to the National Assembly for consideration.
“The new Senate President must be prepared to publicly declare his/her assets, both in the spirit of transparency and in alignment with the avowed anti-corruption stance of the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
“He or she must also be prepared to declare his or her assets publicly as this latter requirement aligns with the recent comments credited to Buhari which goes further to affirm his commitment to ensuring that this constitutional responsibility is discharged not only by the President-elect, but, also, by everyone that would be nominated to work with his administration.
“This must be done conscientiously and made open to public scrutiny in line with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act, 2011.”
Intrigues as APC breaks into camps
Also, there are indications of heightened intrigues among leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the inauguration of the eighth National Assembly.
No fewer than four camps have emerged with each pursuing different projections in the making of the next Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
While the president-elect, General Buhari, is said to be standing alone in his avowed neutrality in the making of the National Assembly leadership, the camps of the APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are said to be slugging it out with different choices for the positions of the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Besides, some Northern leaders are reportedly making inputs into the configuration of the new National Assembly with a vow to stop the imposition of candidates by the Tinubu camp, in the absence of direct inputs from the president-elect.
One of the intrigues was thrown up after the emergence of the initial zoning arrangement of the party which favours the emergence of the Senate President from the North-Central and Speaker from the South-West.
The Tinubu camp was forced out of its support for Senator George Akume over a realization that since Senator Saraki could emerge President of the Senate, the South-West should not aspire to produce the Speaker because that would amount to the Yoruba holding the position of the Vice President, Senate President and Speaker.
To boost its chances, the Tinubu camp then decided to pitch its tent with Senator Ahmad Lawan from the North-East with a thinking that the North would reciprocate by backing Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila for Speaker.
Signals from the North-East and North-West are, however, not clear yet as the South-West hangs its fate in the mouth.
The PDP faithful, who joined the APC in November 2013, including five governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives, are said to be behind Saraki’s ambition with the complaint that their caucus has so far been marginalised.
In that camp is Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Saraki and others. The camp is also said to be backing the Speakership ambition of Honourable Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State in the green chamber.
While former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is said to have visited Akume recently, sources said his choice for Speaker is Dogara, who hails from the North-East, a development that collides with the aspiration of the Tinubu camp.
Some Northern strategists working behind the scenes were said to have moved to use Buhari’s name to foist a Senate President and Speaker on the legislators-elect during the week.
But pressures from interested parties apparently informed the declaration by Buhari that he was not supporting anyone.
One source said that some politicians around the president-elect were moving to anoint candidates in his name and force same on the lawmakers with the belief that they need the National Assembly that would cooperate 100 per cent with Buhari’s presidency.
Meanwhile, the APC has said it has not discarded the principle of zoning in determining the leadership of the National Assembly, but assured it would not impose anybody for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, stated this while clarifying the position of the president-elect on the choice of the presiding officers of both chambers of the National Assembly.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun said the party would merely guide the Senators and the House of Representatives on where to choose their leaders from, but would not be involved in the process of deciding who becomes what.
“What General Muhammadu Buhari said does not contradict our position on the zoning of the offices,” Odigie-Oyegun, said.
“What is certain is that members of the Senate and the House of Representations are the only one who can choose their leaders. We are going to advise them on where they will choose their leaders for obvious reasons. Then it is for them to choose their leaders.
“The party cannot name people for them, but for the sake of balancing we will advise them on where they should choose their leaders.”
Speaking against the background of Kano State governor and Senator-elect, Rabiu Kwankwanso expressing fears that APC may lose the leadership of the National Assembly to the Peoples Democratic Party as it continues to dilly-dally over the subject, Oyegun said it would be impossible for PDP take over the legislative arm of government.
APC will not allow it, he assured.
Credit: Tribune
