Race Goes to the Wire for Senate Presidency -Chuks Okocha, Omololu Ogunmade, Mohammad Bello and Onyebuchi Ezigbo

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Senate presidency graph

• Fears mount over Tinubu’s control of N’Assembly 
• Supporters explain why Saraki, others boycotted APC poll, insist he will contest 
• APC moves to stem revolt, reaches out to members

   
As the contest for the Senate presidency shifts to the main chamber of the Senate tuesday, there are indications that the race for the highly coveted post will go to the wire.

This is just as concerns are mounting over the overwhelming influence the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu could have on the National Assembly should both his favoured candidates – Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila – emerge Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representative, respectively.

Ahmed and Gbajabiamila had emerged the consensus candidates of the APC after a straw poll was conducted by the party on Saturday to pave the way for them to clinch the posts of Senate presidency and speakership unopposed.

However, former Kwara State Governor, Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who are also contenders for the respective posts of Senate president and speaker, walked out of the exercise on the grounds that Tinubu’s candidates were railroaded into emerging the consensus candidates of the APC.

Both of them have decided to challenge Lawan and Gbajabiamila in a contest tomorrow irrespective of the outcome of the straw poll
Saraki’s supporters under the auspices of Senators of Like Minds were also aggrieved that the party ignored their request that the open secret ballot system be used to determine the outcome of the straw poll.

A source close to Saraki explained that to allow what happened at the weekend to go unchallenged would amount to allowing injustice to prevail in the Eighth Senate.

THISDAY gathered that even with the boycott by the Saraki group of the poll, only 32 senators voted for Lawan while 27 abstained, and with one senator from Borno State, Ahmed Zanna, passing on before the inauguration of the Eighth Senate, this means that the race is too close to call.

As it stands, Saraki is believed to have the backing of 20 APC senators-elect and 25 senators-elect of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He would therefore need 10 more senators-elect on his side to win the contest for the Senate presidency by a simple majority of 55 in the 109-strong Senate.

Lawan, on the other hand, is believed to have the backing of 30 APC senators-elect and 10 PDP senators-elect and would need 10 more senators-elect on his side for a simple majority to become the Senate president.

By the source’s estimates, the difference between Saraki and Lawan among the APC senators is just five. Hence, the battleground would have to shift to get the support of more PDP senators.

The source also pointed out that the APC was formed from the agglomeration of different political parties and interest groups, adding that that President Muhammadu Buhari represents the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) under the merger that created the APC; Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo represents the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN); and the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun represents the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

“Where then is the interest of the faction of the New PDP led by the five PDP governors, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and others who joined the APC represented?” he wondered.

“We cannot be used and dumped,” he shouted emotionally, adding that the defection of the New PDP made the victory of the APC at the general election a fait accompli.

The source stated that even Atiku and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha sacrificed a lot for the success of the APC during the elections.

Unlike the Lawan and his running mate for the post of Deputy Senate Presdident Senator George Akume, who are banking on the support of the senators-elect from Southwest, the North-east and the influence of Tinubu, the Senators of Like Minds, it was learnt, are certain of the support of several PDP senators from the South-south, South-east, North-central and North-west geopolitical zones.

Already, it was learnt that former governors who are currently senators-elect like Godswill Akpabio, Theodore Orji and Aliyu Wamako are in the forefront of those supporting Saraki.

Apart from this, the former Kwara governor is not relenting in using his contacts in the PDP to ensure that he gets the maximum support from more PDP senators-elect.

For instance, from Anambra State, Senators Andy Ubah and Uche Ekwunife are mobilising for Saraki, while former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu is holding the Enugu and Ebonyi support-base for him.

Another senator backing Saraki, who spoke on the horse-trading going on, said that on account of the sharp divisions that took place during Saturday’s straw poll organised for elected senators of the APC, the battle line has been drawn, adding, “All is fair in love and war.”

“We have to use what we have to get what we want. The plot at the retreat was to railroad Senators Lawan and Akume and it has happened.

“As far as we are concerned, it is a failed coup against Saraki.  The senators-elect are wiser now and have to counter the move through the Senators of Like Minds and therefore, we are not leaving any stone unturned in getting what we want.

“We are reaching out to all elected senators, including the PDP senators. The PDP senators cannot be ignored. They make up 49 senators of the Senate, so now that there is a problem as to how to reach a consensus, the best alternative is to seek the support of all the senators. The PDP senators are not our enemies.

“We are seeking a common goal for the overall interest of the Senate and Nigeria, which is an efficient and capable leader who can steer the affairs of the Senate and indeed the National Assembly. We won’t be spoon fed any longer.

“In the presidential primaries of the APC, all members with presidential aspirations were allowed to contest and so shall it be with the election of the Senate president of the Eighth Assembly,” the source said.

According to the senator, who said that he is a member of the Senators of Like Minds group headed by Senator-elect Dino Melaye, “Our members cut across all the six geo-political zones, which includes more than 20 PDP senators.”

The group, it was gathered, is working to ensure that there is no external influence or political godfather who tries to hijack the leadership of the Senate so that it will be accountable to members and not to individuals outside the Senate.

According to the source, “The greatest mistake the Senate would make is to elect a Senate president and speaker who will be taking orders and reporting to somebody outside the National Assemby.

“The danger, if this is allowed to happen, is that Tinubu could use the legislature to emasculate and possibly move against Buhari should he fail to have his way with the president.

“Very soon, the president will be sending the names of ministerial nominees for his cabinet soon, and if Tinubu’s choice for ministerial posts are not selected, he could compel the Senate leader to toe his line,” he explained.

Also, APC Senators supporting Saraki for the Senate presidency sunday provided clarification as to why they boycotted the party’s primary to select its consensus candidate for the post of Senate president.

They said they staged the boycott because the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) did not accept the request made by Senators of Like Minds that the open secret balloting system be used for the straw poll.

Saraki told THISDAY that at a meeting convened by the APC NWC, his supporters had requested for open secret ballot system as the mode of voting, but the Oyegun-led NWC rejected their request after several hours of horse-trading.

He said the NWC insisted on open balloting as a means of determining the consensus candidate for the post of Senate president.
“As result of the inability of the APC leadership to guarantee the Senators of Like Minds the right of a secret ballot system, we decided not to participate at the election and this we made clear to the national chairman of our party.

“Whatever they do in the name of consensus, for the Senate presidency election, we are not part of it,” he told THISDAY yesterday.
He added, “Members of my group are still meeting to come out with further action. But for now, we are not part of the consensus arrangement.”

Buttressing their position yesterday, the Senators of Like Minds, in a statement signed by Melaye and Senator Ahmad Sani, described the election as unconstitutional, saying its candidate will stand for a constitutional election on Tuesday.

The statement said: “We the Senators-elect of Like Minds on the 6th of June 2015, on the invitation of our party, attended an interactive meeting with selected five members from each group, the Unity Forum and the Like Minds Group.

“Regrettably, the Unity Forum insisted on open ballot voting, which we discovered was different from the electoral process used to conduct the earlier election with respect to the House of Representatives members-elect. To us, this open ballot voting is primitive, undemocratic and against universal electoral norms and practice.

“In the light of the above, we the Senators-elect of Like Minds hereby insist on our position of the open secret voting process, which we believe is in consonance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and universal electoral values.

“As responsible citizens of Federal Republic of Nigeria and leaders in our own right, we have resolved and hereby state that we shall not be part of a process that promotes an undemocratic electoral process that may resort to rancorous and uncivil situations which inhibits the rights of individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice, as this process will further divide us than unite members of our party.

“In conclusion, we the Senators-elect of Like Minds wish to state categorically that we will participate only in the constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday, the 9th of June 2015, in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We by this press release, invite the media to a joint press conference by the 65 Senators-elect of Like Minds drawn from across party lines on Monday morning, the 8th of June 2015.”

Reacting to the statement by his supporters, Senate sources who spoke to THISDAY yesterday said given Saraki’s decision to slug it out with Lawan, the general perception is that the ruling party might fail its first litmus test in the management of power if the situation snowballs into crisis tuesday.

This is more so that the situation is no different in the House where Dogara, who like Saraki staged a walk out during the election of Gbajabiamila on Saturday, is also warming up to slug it out with the latter tuesday.

Following Dogara’s boycott of the straw poll with his supporters, Gbajabiamila polled 154 votes at the meeting attended by 182 of the APC House members-elect.

Expectedly, the disunity in the rank and file of APC’s National Assembly members-elect threatens the peace and hope of better representation by the party in the legislature.

This is also bearing in mind that watchers have begun to laugh at the party which often mocked the opposition PDP over its handling of party affairs while in power.

However, with tension rising over the outcome of its primaries on Saturday and looming spectre of a revolt among its members in both chambers of the National Assembly, the APC has reached out to all its members who may be aggrieved after the emergence of the party's official candidates on Saturday.

THISDAY learnt that in a bid to avoid running into a trap purportedly set by senators-elect from the PDP, the leadership of the APC sunday began intensive lobbying to woo more of its members-elect to support its consensus candidate.

The party said in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Secretary, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, that it was natural for some members to be disappointed by the outcome of the straw poll that was conducted to select the party’s official candidates for the post.

“However, we must put the interest of our party above personal interests and avoid a situation whereby any other candidates, apart from those picked by the party, will emerge as Senate president and House speaker on Tuesday.

“Any outstanding issue will be resolved by the party so we won’t go into Tuesday's election with more than one candidate each for the two posts,” it said, adding that it would be a shame if, despite its majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, the APC is unable to produce a Senate president and a House speaker of its choice.

APC explained that its role in the entire business of ensuring a common front within the party ahead of Tuesday’s election was that of an honest broker, saying its goal of ensuring that the party does not go into the election with more than one candidate for each post has now been achieved.

The party appealed to all aggrieved members to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign in the overall interest of not just the party but the entire nation.

Meanwhile, ahead of tuesday’s inauguration of the Eighth Session of the National Assembly, the precinct of the complex was inundated with heavy security yesterday when legislators-elect and others arrived for accreditation for the exercise.

From the circular driveway connecting the Cadastral Zone up to the gate of the National Assembly complex, security operatives and their vehicles set up posts, searching and identifying all lawmakers, journalists and staff of the National Assembly who were there for the screening exercise, which started at about 10 am.

Within the complex, most of the committee hearing rooms were converted to accreditation centres for legislators, security personnel as well as media practitioners.

The accreditation of lawmakers-elect was done in marked rooms indicating their geopolitical zones, while that of the media and security personnel held in Senate Hearing Room 1.

Some lawmakers who spoke anonymously berated the management for the poor planning and execution of the exercise, observing that last Friday and Saturday should have been earmarked for the exercise given the number of people involved.

One of them said: “We don't know why the National Assembly management could not give adequate notice for this exercise and plan it ahead of time.

“They behaved like they didn't know the Seventh Assembly was going to end. If not, how can they jolt people up on a Sunday when people should be at their homes preparing for their swearing-in ceremony.”

Culled from Thisday