Francis Moses writes on the raging battle for the control of the Senate leadership in the 8th National Assembly come June 4 when the new Red Chambers would be constituted. .

After the most contentious general elections in the history of Nigeria, the battle and the game of politics have turn towards who becomes the number three citizen of the country, the Senate President. Meanwhile with less than three months to the inauguration of the Eight Senate, there is a rumble battle as some new senators are insisting on shelving the ranking rule which gives preference to old senators in composition of the Senate leadership.

The inauguration of the Eight Senate is due on June 4. As the day draws near there are indications that some new Senators are already scheming and lobbying party elders to be elected as principal officers. The Senate Standing Orders (2011, as amended), however, stipulates that any senator, who has been elected and has been re-elected into the chamber, has preference over a member, who is newly elected into the chamber. But Chapter II (2) of the Senate rules specifically removes any ambiguity about the status of Senators in the chamber.

Rule 2, with the headline: Election of presiding and other officers states that in determining ranking, “the following order shall apply: (i) Senators returning based on number of times re-elected; (II) Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives; (iii) Senators elected as Senators for the first time.” Based on this ranking rule, only Senators who have been returned based on the number of times re-elected are expected to form the nuclei of the leadership. Interestingly with a simple majority in the chamber, lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are expected to fill these positions: Senate President; Deputy Senate President; Senate Majority Leader; Chief Whip; Deputy Majority Leader and Deputy Chief Whip. The APC have a total of 64 elected as against 45 of the PDP.

Though the APC does not have the two third majority, which is 74 out of the total of 109 senators, it still has the simple majority to dominate the choice committee appointment in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, including that of the Senate President. Flowing from this arrangement, the North Central and the North East are angling for the Senate President slot while the Deputy Senate President slot is expected to be filled by the South- west . The South-south and the South East slot in the leadership are still empty as there is no ranking Senator from both zones presently.

For the Senate Leader slot, the North West is expected to fill the slot which has many ranking Senators from the zone. However prior to the emergence of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari as the president-elect, there were three political groups within the APC, which won the March 28, 2015 presidential election and secured majority seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives during the polls.

These political group include the Buhari/Northern group which is made up of the president-elect and his supporters who have been with him for 12 years and collapsed their structures into the APC during the merger process; the Tinubu/South-west bloc led by former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who defected to APC in 2013 led by Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi and Senator Bukola Saraki.

However it is against this scenery that the Tinubu groups has thrown its weight behind Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, for the office of the Senate President while the Amaechi groups is pushing hard for the emergence of Saraki There are indications that Akume has the back up of Tinubu and his group which is believed to be the strongest alliance in the party, but may not have the number in the Senate to push through their goal. But some of the contenders are now pushing their option by proxy.

In that instant, The Akume group are rallying support from their closest neighbours in Plateau where a powerful youth group, the National Youth   Council of Nigeria, North Central zone, is canvassing support for the Senate minority leader, Senator George Akume, as president of the Senate, saying with the emergence of the APC, as majority, it was only fair that Akume took over the leadership. The youths in a statement signed in Abuja recently by its vice president, Engr. Jethro Anum, and made available to The UNION, the youth wing also appealed to Senate President David Mark to support the candidature of Akume whom they described as a thorough bred grassroots politician that had proven over the years to be a manager of men and resources.

“Senator Akume has the requisite experience to lead the 8th Senate. As the Senate minority leader, he demonstrated his political prowess by the purposeful leadership of the opposition, with the interest of the nation being his guiding principles.” Said Anun, adding that “Akume did very well as the Senate minority leader, and therefore should be supported by all progressives and indeed all who are interested in the progress of the country.”

They insisted that his wealth of experience as a seasoned politician and true democrat would no doubt come in handy in fostering unity amongst the senators, irrespective of party affiliation, while ensuring that the executive is neither distracted nor allowed to derail.

The group also urged the APC to look at a candidate that would move the change mantra and domesticate it across the minority ethnic nationalities in north central states of Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, Kwara and Plateau, to create a Senate that genuinely unites the nation. Meanwhile some political analyst has argued that base on the fact that Akume is senior to Saraki in the Senate and having been in the Senate since 2007 while Saraki became a senator in 2011.

Another reason Tinubu’s group are backing Akume is because they understand Akume far better than Saraki whom he said is not close to the bigwigs in the group like Akume. “The Tinubu group is backing Akume because Saraki seems to be more or less an outsider (to the group). Besides, Akume has long been in ACN and he is a senior to Saraki.

He is also better understood by Asiwaju than Saraki,” the source said. Another factor which may work against Saraki is the issue of two Yoruba men to become number two and three citizens respectively even though they are from different geopolitical zones. Despite the hurdles in Saraki’s way, however the Amaechi’s group is said to be relentlessly pushing for his emergence as the next Senate President. On the other hand, the North-east senators are agitating to make the Senate; the senators have implored the leadership of the APC to zone the office to their region on the grounds that it is the most marginalised zone in the country.

Among the senators jostling for the office in the North-east are former Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje, who represents Gombe Central in the Senate and his counterparts in Yobe East and Yobe North, Bukka Abba Ibrahim and Ahmed Lawan respectively. The Union gathered that given the interest by different contenders for the office, it may be difficult for the power brokers in APC to reach a consensus with the gladiators on who would become the next Senate President.

However there may be a repeat of the episode in the House of Representatives in 2011 when members of the House opted to elect their speaker and deputy in violation of the ruling PDP zoning agenda which had zoned the two offices to South-west and North-east respectively. It was against this background that Aminu Tambuwal from the North-west and Emeka Ihedioha from the South-east emerged the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.

However the coordinator of North-Central coalition for Positive Change has drummed support for Sen. Bukola Saraki for the position of Senate President In a press statement issued by the Coordinator of the mass movement Hon Lachang Faden, he explained that the Political group with a strong grassroots based in all the states of the North central including the FCT add her voice in support of the candidature of Sen. Bukola Sarki for the position of Senate President which was Zone to the, North-central.

Hon Faden who was a onetime coordinator of ABS Presidential campaign in plateau state describe Senator Saraki as an astute, amiable and a ditribalised Leader who is working tirelessly to cement the different fault lines of ethnic and religious divides in the Zone for the emergence of a stronger and virile North central.

The group calls on all Nigerians in respective zones and other affiliation to support aspiration of senator elect Saraki who have distinguish his rare Leadership qualities as chairman Nigerian Governors forum in recent past. Faden expressed satisfaction with leadership style of Saraki as he has demonstrated himself to be a servant of the people. He congratulated his re-election bid as the senator representing the good people of kwara state and the North-central. How all this can work despite the fact that the PDP are now the minority only time can tell.