By Aliyu DANLADI
The 8th National Assembly featured Dr Bukola Saraki and Sen. Ahmad Lawan representing Yobe North contending for the Senate presidency in 2015.
Political observers link Saraki’s emergence to several reasons, including having been in the Senate more than once.
They also note that Saraki’s candidacy may also have received the party’s nod to reflect Federal Character system, since President Muhammadu Buhari is from the North-West zone and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo from the South West zone.
However, zoning the leadership of the Senate remains the party’s prerogative and does not have to reflect Federal Character system.
Observers note that the race would have been an easy one for Lawan then but for Saraki’s Kwara North Central position insisting on getting the seat.
Even when Lawan emerged winner in the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) mock election on June 9, 2015 as the President of the Senate, Saraki insisted on participating in the final election.
As the 8th National Assembly is winding up and Saraki, having lost his re-election bid is definitely not returning to the Senate, interested parties have begun intrigues.
Informed sources note that Lawan may have started consulting with the party leadership and other stakeholders for better strategies to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2015.
Lawan, who has been in the National Assembly since 1999, in spite not emerging the President of the Senate in 2015, has worked to protect the interest of APC, even at odd times.
He is among the most ranking senators and he has, over time, stood firmly behind Buhari.
Some of the lawmakers who are likely to indicate interest in the Senate presidency are Sen. Abdullahi Adamu-Nasarawa, Sen. Danjuma Goje-Gombe, Sen. Ali Ndume-Borno Sen. Benjamin Uwajumogu-Imo and Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.
Adamu is a ranking senator from the North Central having been in the senate since 2011 and was a two-term governor of Nasarawa.
He has also played critical roles in protecting Buhari’s interest in the Senate, being the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum and Parliamentary Support Group for Buhari.
With these efforts in promoting the party and the popularity he enjoys among his colleagues, Adamu may win if he indicates interest, according to observers.
Goje is also a two-term governor of Gombe State, a ranking senator from the North East, who has been in the Senate since 2011.
He is currently the Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation and observers say if he indicates interest and is able to sell himself to the party and his colleagues, he has a good chance of getting the seat.
Ndume from Borno is another ranking senator who has been in the National Assembly since 2003.
He stood firmly against the non-confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu.
This and other firm positions he took in favour of the party earned him a six month suspension.
This, however, did not deter him from publicly declaring support for Buhari and the APC.
Uwajumogu from Imo similarly stands a chance of being chosen by the party if he eventually makes it back to the senate and indicates interest in that regard.
He defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC and has been part of the workings of the party.
A relatively calm lawmaker, analysts note that Uwajumogu knows his onions having served as Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly.
One factor that might work in his favour is if the party decides to zone the position of President of the Senate to the South East zone.
Oluremi Tinubu, outspoken lawmaker, who has the grasp of legislative procedures, is also a senator to reckon with in this regard having won the 2019 election to return to the Senate for the third time.
Irrespective of the inclusion of Osinbajo and her husband Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in APC, Oluremi Tinubu may be considered for the seat based on gender issue, analysts observe.
They also believe that the party may want a female Senate president to the present administration appear gender-friendly.
However, unarguably, the role of party big wigs in the choice of a preferred candidate for the seat cannot be overruled and interested parties may do themselves good by lobbying them.
While the ruling political party bigwigs play critical role in the composition of National Assembly leadership, the lawmakers, nonetheless, have the exclusive right of choosing their leaders.
This is stipulated in Section 50 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution as amended that: “There shall be:- (a) a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves’’.
Out of the 109 senators expected in the 9th Senate, available results indicate that APC has 65, PDP) has 41 and Young Progressives Party (YPP) has one, while two seats are outstanding.
Irrespective of the direction of political intrigues, analysts observe further that the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly will be interesting as more than 40 members of the 8th National Assembly will not be returning and no fewer than 14 former governors will be in the Senate.—NAN
