Date: 2015-06-08

Following the controversies trailing its Saturday shadow elections for the emergence of consensus candidates for the leadership of the incoming 8th National Assembly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged aggrieved lawmakers-elect to put party above personal interests, just as it cautioned its lawmakers-elect against presenting multiple candidates for the posts.

The party, according to a statement issued yesterday, noted that the Saturday mock elections which produced Senator Ahmed Lawan for Senate president and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila for speaker, House of Representatives, were sacrosanct and in the interest of the party.

Meanwhile, the APC said it had started reaching out to its members in the incoming National Assembly who may be aggrieved after the emergence of the party's official candidates on Saturday.

The statement which was signed by its national secretary, Hon Mai Mala Buni, appealed to aggrieved lawmakers and other interests to toe the part's line, and warned against a situation whereby any other candidates, apart from those chosen by the party, will emerge as Senate president and House of Reps speaker tomorrow.

"We must put the interest of our party above personal interests. Any outstanding issues 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, Senate president and speaker, House of Representatives,'' the party 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.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Senator Bukola Saraki-led faction of the Senators on Saturday boycotted the party's primary election conducted by its National Working Committee (NWC) at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Similarly, lawmakers-elect backing Hon Yakubu Dogara for the speaker's position also disagreed with the party's choice of Gbajabiamila as the party's candidate.

The APC also announced Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senator George Akume as sole candidates for the position of president and deputy Senate president of the 8th Senate respectively, as well as Hon Gbajabiamila as speaker of the House of Representatives.

APC explained that its role in the entire business of ensuring a common front for the party ahead of tomorrow's election was that of an honest broker, saying its goal of ensuring that the party did not go into the election with more than one candidate for each post had 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.

Investigation: 12 senators sponsored no bill in 4 years

As the 7th Senate ended last week, LEADERSHIP checks have revealed that 12 senators did not sponsor any bill in their four-year stay at the Upper Chamber.

LEADERSHIP checks also revealed that at the midpoint of their tenure, 34 senators had not sponsored any bill but their number dwindled towards the end of their tenure.

Last week, the outgone chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, disclosed that a total of 585 bills were introduced in the Senate in the past four years out of which 128 bills were passed.

This was contained in a brief on the status of bills, motions, confirmations and sundry legislative matters of the Senate from June 6, 2011, to June 4, 2015, by Senator Enang.

Out of the 585 bills that were introduced in the Senate, the executive sponsored 62 bills, 77 were House bills while the rest were private member bills.

The lawmakers that did not sponsor any bill during their tenure are senators Aisha Abdulsalam (Taraba), Ma'aji Lawan (Borno), Ogbuoji Sunny (Ebonyi), Abdul Ningi (Bauchi), Abdulazeez Usman (Jigawa), Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Mohammed Sani Saleh (Kaduna), Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Solomon Ewuga (Nasarawa), Mohammed Maccido (Sokoto), Abubakar Tutare (Taraba) and Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara).

Conversely, Senator Ben Ayade (now governor of Cross River State), sponsored 41 bills, the highest in the Senate, followed by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River) who had 25. Senator Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom) sponsored 19 bills while Smart Adeyemi (Kogi) had 17.

Others are senators Domingo Obende (Edo) with 14, Chris Ngige (Anambra), 11, Ahmad Lawan (Yobe), 10, Barnabas Gemade (Benue), 7, and Atai Aidoko Ali, 7.

The Senate also passed 31 executive bills out of the 62 tabled before it.

LEADERSHIP recalls that according to a report in the ECONOMIST in 2013, a Nigerian legislator receives an annual salary of about $189,000, equivalent of N30 million, which is 116 times the country's gross domestic product (GDP) per person.

This figure is surpassed only by Australian lawmakers who receive $201,200 annual salary, which is only three times their country's GDP per person.

The magazine further put salaries collected by Nigerian senators and members of the House of Representatives way ahead of those received by fellow parliamentarians in the 29 countries it analysed.

In terms of volume of cash earnings, the Nigerian legislators were several thousands of dollars ahead of their counterparts in Britain who take $105,400 yearly, as well as those in the United States ($174,000), France ($85,900), South Africa ($104,000), Kenya ($74,500), Saudi Arabia ($64,000) and Brazil ($157,600).

Some other senators and the number of bills they sponsored are: Wilson Ake, 4; Bukola Saraki, 2; Aloysius Etok, 7; Ike Ekweremadu, 3; Ganiyu Solomon, 4; George Akume, 3; Philip Aduda, 5; Nenadi Usman, 7; Hope Uzodinma, 8; Andy Uba, 8; Eyinnaya Abaribe, 3; Remi Tinubu, 2; Chris Anyanwu,5; Zainab Kure, 4; Ayo Adeseun, 5; Ifeanyi Okowa, 13; Babafemi Ojudu, 2; Babajide Omoworare, 7; Magnus Ugbesia, 8; Gbenga Ashafa, 14; Magary Okadigbo, 4; Ali Ndume, 2; Hadi Sirika, 4; Umaru Dahiru, 3; Danjuma Goje, 3; Adegbenga Kaka, 9; Mathew Nwagu, 8; Ehigie Uzamere, 5, and Abdullahi Adamu, 5.

Senate Presidency: Saraki, Lawan go for broke tomorrow

Barely 24 hours to the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly, the intrigues for the position of Senate President between senators Bukola Saraki (APC, Kwara Central) and Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North) took a different dimension over the weekend with 33 out of 59 APC senators openly backing the candidature of Lawan.

This was even as Saraki, in a press statement issued yesterday, claimed to have the backing of 65 senators across party lines for the contest tomorrow, the faces of whom he promised to show the public at a press briefing today in Abuja.

Out of the 65 senators Saraki claimed to be in his support, 39 are of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which has a total of 49 senators-elect.

Following the mock vote on Saturday, only 26 senators-elect were left for the Saraki group in the APC fold after Lawan secured the support of 33.

The depletion of Saraki's support base among the APC senators-elect from the 35 earlier claimed by his group, the Like Minds Senators, to 26 on Saturday night followed last-minute defections to the Senate Unity Forum, the Ahmad Lawan group, by some of them.

Notable senators who changed sides at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, venue of the APC primary election, were Comrade Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central), Usman Bayero Nafada (Gombe Central), and Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West).

ut Saraki, in his press statement signed by coordinators of the Like Minds Senators, Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and Rufai Ahmad Sani Yerima ( Zamfara West), said the outcome of the APC primary election had no binding force on his aspiration as he would contest against Lawan on the floor of the Senate tomorrow morning since there are 65 senators across party lines on his side, enough to win the vote .

The statement reads in part:"We the senators-elect of Like Minds today, June 6, 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 is different from the electoral process used to conduct the earlier election with 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 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 the 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 undemocratic electoral process that may resort to rancorous and uncivil situations which inhibit the rights of individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice, as this process will further divide us rather than unite members of our party."

They insisted they participate in constitutional election scheduled for tomorrow in line with the rules of the Senate.

The Like Minds senators declared their intention to hold a press conference this morning where they would further expound their positions.

Speakership: Dogara petitions Buhari, tags APC mock election a fraud

A frontline speakership candidate for the 8th Assembly, House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over Saturday's mock election for principal positions in the House organised by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The mock election which produced Femi Gbajabiamila was boycotted by Dogara's camp. Dogara stormed out of the venue of the election before voting commenced.

Meanwhile, in defiance, Dogara (Bauchi/APC) yesterday night unveiled his legislative agenda if elected speaker.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, the 8th Assembly Consolidation Group, which has been campaigning for Dogara's candidature, described the mock election as illegal and fraudulent.

"We have decided to write a petition to the president of the federal republic to intervene and call the party leaders to order. We are very confident that the president will look at the matter in a very just manner," the group's spokesman, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin (Kano/APC), told newsmen at the briefing.

"The APC leadership keeps telling the public that an election was conducted and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila got 154 votes while Hon Yakubu Dogara got three votes.

"It is a blatant lie, fraud and shameful for the APC leaders to descend so low... The mock election actually showed that APC has made a mockery of itself because we walked out of the venue even before they perpetrated the illegality."

According to Jibrin, Dogara was not in the hall at the time his nomination was reportedly made.

"The APC leaders planted someone who impersonated one of us and another person was also planted and he accepted the nomination. This is fraudulent, shameful and dishonest. It was all arranged and done by APC leaders," Jubrin claimed.

"We rejected the election because it was not in tandem with the spirit and letters of the constitution. The numbers allocated to us was a fraud; we don't accept it."

He said that the stability of the House was very important, adding that the members should be allowed elect their speaker.

"We want a courageous speaker who is free from the apron strings of a godfather and not one that will create special bedroom in the pocket of an individual.

"After such huge intimidation, blackmail and inducement, we are not surprised that they gave out such number. On Tuesday, the real picture of the strength of our candidate, Hon Yakubu Dogara, will emerge."

Jibrin further called on Gbajabiamila to explain his alleged conviction in United States of America for theft which led to his being debarred for 36 months on February 26, 2007, by the Supreme Court of Georgia.

He also accused Gbajabiamila of holding dual citizenship in conflict with the 1999 Nigerian constitution (as amended) for individuals seeking elective positions.

Meanwhile, Dogara has picked a returning member-elect, Hon Lasun Yussuf (Osun/APC), as his deputy speakership candidate, possibly to split votes from the South West region where Gbajabiamila hails from.

How Gbajabiamila won APC endorsement - Campaign Secretariat

The campaign secretariat of Hon Femi Gbajabiamila for the office of speaker has said that its candidate won the June 6 mock election organised for speakership aspirants by the APC leadership fair and square.

The secretariat, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, gave a breakdown of the members who voted at the mock vote, saying that it had the support of the majority of the APC members-elect for tomorrow's election during the House's inaugural sitting.

One of Gbajabiamila's loyalists who addressed journalists at the briefing, Hon Ahmed Rufa'i Chanchangi, said APC had 210 members-elect and that 175 of them had already declared for Gbajabiamila.

According to him, the identities of the 175 is public knowledge, adding that the 154 votes garnered by their candidate at the mock poll were cast by the same supporters present at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, venue of the exercise, while about 15 were unavoidably absent.

"So, if you give Dogara, who is the main challenger in this contest, a whole 50, it won't give him the required number. From the party's position, we are already ahead of him with about 150 votes, which is a great number," Chanchangi said.

He noted that their camp had over 50 supporters among the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members-elect, a development he said, placed them in a vantage position to win the race in a matter of time.

For his part, Hon Ali Madaki denied the insinuation that the three votes recorded in favour of their arch-rival, Hon Yakubu Dogara, were from their camp in order to give credence to the mock exercise. He explained that the three voters in question were well known Dogara supporters, who refused to join him in staging a walkout during the exercise on Saturday.

Senate Presidency: Northern elders, youths appeal to senators on Lawan/Akume ticket

As the 8th Assembly prepares to elect its leaders tomorrow, senators-elect have been urged to respect the outcome of the mock primaries held by the APC which produced the duo of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the party's candidate for president of the Senate and George Akume as his deputy.

This appeal was made by a group of prominent northern elders, youths and civil societies under the umbrella of Concerned Northern Elders and youths in Abuja.

The APC had, at the weekend, selected Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as candidates for the posts of Senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, with Sen Akume and Hon Mungono as their deputies.

In a statement jointly signed by the interim co-ordinator and secretary of the group, Mohammed Idris and Mr Joshua Inusa, the group cautioned the new senators against compromising credibility in the choice of National Assembly leadership, and urged them to key into President Buhari's zero tolerance for corruption by voting for a credible and corrupt-free senator like Lawan as president.

"With President Buhari's statement that he would only work with and support people of unquestionable character and past, it is imperative for the incoming legislators to assist the president in ensuring that only a man of integrity, whose past is not in any way characterised by either allegation of corruption, impunity or any other unwanted behaviour, becomes president of the Senate.

"To this end, after a careful review and consultation with elders, youths and a number of civil society groups in the north, we hereby resolve to endorse Senator Ahmed Lawan.

"We are calling on our senators to allow reason to prevail and disregard any shenanigans."