Ali Ndume
The
party had earlier taken a position on the matter, zoning the Senate
Presidency to the North East and endorsing Senator Ahmed Lawan as its
preferred choice.
Indications are rife that the leadership of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) is set to wield the big stick against Senators Ali Ndume
and Danjuma Goje as well as other erring members, who flout it’s
directives on the election of the National Assembly leadership.
This is coming as a result of intrigues and horse-trading that have
recently characterised the position of the Senate President, in which
some members had publicly spoken against the decision of the party.
The party had earlier taken a position on the matter, zoning the
Senate Presidency to the North East and endorsing Senator Ahmed Lawan as
its preferred choice. But some senators are said to be against the
choice of the party, leading to dissenting tunes among the federal
lawmakers.
While Ndume has consistently insisted on running for the senate
presidency, Goje has yet to make his position public but being thronged
on by his supporters, who want him to run for the exalted office.
Saturday Telegraph investigations however revealed that the leadership
of the party, headed by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is not ready to go
into any form of negotiation, with a view to pacifying those rebelling
against the party’s decision. Sources close to the APC leadership
informed our correspondent that the “anti-party activities” currently
being displayed by some key members of the party, will result in
suspension or outright expulsion of some chieftains of the APC within
and outside the National Assembly.
This, one of the sources said, is because of the recalcitrant
attitude of some members of the party bigwigs, who are said to be
supporting the rebellious cause of some of the lawmakers. A source that
is close to the top echelon of the party told Saturday Telegraph that
“any matter concerning the emergence of the leadership of the ninth
assembly is strictly a decision to be made by the party’s leadership”.
When probed further on the stance of the party and the purported
disagreement within the ranks, the new House of Representatives
member-elect, said; “Anybody, who defiantly violates the party’s zoning
arrangement for the emergence of the leadership of the ninth assembly in
June this year, would be made to face the penalty”.
He noted that Oshiomhole and the National Leader of the party,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had warned the newly elected members not to toe the
line of some ranking members, who are set to disobey the party. “Some
key people including the national leader and the chairman had warned us
not to go contrary to the publicly announced party’s zoning arrangement.
Those going against them are likely going to be indefinitely
suspended, if not expelled. “If you will recall, the leader had last
week said that anyone that is not in agreement with the party’s decision
should quietly leave our fold. They have been advised to go to another
party, but since they have refused to go on their own, the party will
have to wield the big stick”, he said. Another source, who is a Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) defector noted that the APC leaders were
particularly angered by the steps being taken by some members of the
opposition, who are positioning themselves to take advantage of the
division within the APC lawmakers.
“Just like what happened earlier, members of the opposition PDP
in the Senate are planning to take advantage of the cracks in the
ruling party to field a candidate to produce the next President of the
ninth Senate”, he said, adding that Ndume is risking expulsion from
the party if he fails to drop his ambition to contest for the senate
presidency.
The PDP interest
Checks by Saturday Telegraph further revealed that there are three
possible candidates from the PDP jostling for the position of the Senate
President. They are Senators Ike Ekweremadu, who is the current Deputy
President of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South) and
James Manager (PDP, Delta South).
The PDP trio, sources said, would have a fierce contest among
themselves, noting however that Abaribe is the preferred choice of the
PDP among these three. Analysing the chances of the PDP candidates, a
member of the opposition within the Senate said those against Ekweremadu
are those that feel he had been too long in the saddle and there is
need to have a fresh blood in the leadership. “The number one reason
which favours Abaribe over the other two, is that other senators who
have been in the Assembly since 2007 will be having a sense of monotony
to continue to have Ekweremadu presiding over them.
“But others are of the opinion that, though Manager is well
experienced and also qualifies to hold the office, Abaribe is perceived
to have more public acceptance among his colleagues, especially with the
high level of carriage and articulation with which he has operated in
the Red Chamber in the last 12 years”. He however argued that, with 41
members, it would be difficult for his party to win the race, except the
PDP could get the support of about 14 members from the ruling APC. “It
will be difficult for us in the opposition to produce the President of
the Senate. Unless we are able to woo not less 14 APC senators, we can’t
pull any magic. We need simple majority of 55 out of 109 senators to
give us victory” he said.
Shekarau, Kano senators-elect endorse Lawan
As the battle rages, a former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau
and some newly-elected senators from the state have endorsed the
ambition of Lawan. Throwing their weight behind Lawan, the trio of
Shekarau, senators Barau Jubrin and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, described their
candidate as eminently qualified to occupy the exalted seat going by
international parliamentary best practices.
Jubrin, who is the secretary of Ahmed Lawan Campaign Organisation,
led other members of the campaign train to the residence of Shekarau,
where Lawan was endorsed. Among those who visited Kano with the Senate
Leader include Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), chairman, Ahmed
Lawan Campaign Organisation; Senator Danladi Sankara, who is the new
Senator-elect for Jigawa North-West Senatorial District; Senator Bello
Maudiya (Katsina South); Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan (Lagos West);
Senator Degi-Eremienyo (Bayelsa East); and Senator Lekan Mustapha (Ogun
East). Speaking after the endorsement, Jubrin said: “The National
Assembly leadership is elected based on international parliamentary best
practices. In every parliament, leaders are elected based on ranking,
experience and once a parliament goes by election, the party that gets
the majority in that election produces the leader, and in this case, the
Majority Leader in such a parliament automatically becomes the Senate
President or Speaker as the case may be.
“Now, Ahmed Lawan is the current leader and he will be the oldest
Senator, the most ranked Senator. He was a two-time members of House of
Representatives and four-time member of the Senate. So, he is the most
experienced and most ripe for the job going by intentional parliamentary
best practices.” On his part, Shekarau said: “I am so highly honoured
to be visited by this high-powered delegation led by the leader of the
Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan. I am now a Senator-elect and I pray the
ninth National Assembly will be a very peaceful and smooth one, where we
will all join hands together to move Nigeria forward. “I also
congratulate you for aspiring to lead the National Assembly.
It is one thing to be there, it is another thing to be identified
as a leader. It is a challenge and we are all proud of the fact the it
is one of those that we have known before that is aspiring to lead the
National Assembly.” However, the National Publicity Secretary of the
APC, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, could not be reached for comments on what
his party would do to its members who may stage a rebellion by
supporting any candidate other than Sen. Ahmad Lawan for the leadership
struggle of the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.
The spokesman of the ruling party neither picked his calls not
respond to a text message sent to his mobile phone. Similarly attempt to
reach Ndume, one of the major challengers of Lawan for the Senate
Presidency was unsuccessful. Several calls made to his mobile phone did
not go through as the network provider said he was unavailable. Ndume
had last week publicly declared his ambition,stressing that he would
contest the position. The declaration came after the APC had announced
Lawan as the choice of the party.
Source: New Telegraph
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