Ime Akpan
President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have caused a damaging split within the party’s senators-elect following the adoption of Mr. Ahmad Lawan as the sole candidate of the ninth senate presidency.
The campaign for the for the president of the ninth senate began immediately after the February 23 presidential and national assembly elections when some ranking senators started lobbying their colleagues within and outside their geo-political zones to support their ambition for the plump legislative position.
They included the senate leader, Mr. Ahmad Lawan, former senate leader, Mr. Ali Ndume, the chairman of senate committee on appropriation and former governor of Gombe State, Mr. Danjuma Goje and the governor of Nasarawa State, Mr. Adamu Abdullahi.
But Buhari and the APC apparatchiks put paid to the ambition of the others except Lawan’s.
The Nation reports that the senate leader was preferred above his co-contestants having considered his “qualifications, prudence, accountability, loyalty and rich legislative experience” which will assist the APC government to have a robust executive-legislative relationship to fast-track development.
Lawan, they also believe is a “leader with much focus on accountability”.
Buhari, it was gathered preferred Lawan because he repeatedly told senators-elect that he will “like to leave sustainable legacies; to be remembered for something”.
“The choice of Lawan for the office was not the making of the national chairman of APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.
“The president had zeroed in on Lawan since 2015 and he did not mince words in asking the leaders of the party, APC governors and even senators-elect to ‘leave the senate president for me.’
“Security reports on Lawan’s lifestyle revealed a commitment to accountability. He does not indulge in wasteful spending. He fits into the austere focus of Buhari,” The Nation quotes a source as saying.
The news of Ahmad’s endorsement as the ninth senate-president-in-waiting was broken to the APC senator-elect by the national chairman of APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole at the presidential dinner held in Aso Rock on Monday, March 25.
“Sitting beside the President, Oshiomhole spoke passionately and made it clear that all ranking senators-elect are eminently qualified to be the President of the Senate and other principal officers. He eulogised all ranking senators.
“He had some difficulty in going straight to the point but he explained why it was necessary for the party to be united and have a solid leadership in the National Assembly.
“After some rigmarole, the national chairman said the national working committee had consulted with the governors elected on the platform of the party and APC leaders and reached a conclusion that Dr. Ahmad Lawan should migrate from being a Senate Leader to the President of the Senate. At the end of the day, we are presenting Lawan for consideration.
“Oshiomhole assured that the party will ensure a win-win situation for all, especially those aspiring for senate presidency.
“Only the President and Oshiomhole spoke at the session in the Villa; we were not allowed any input. Lawan is mandated to reconcile with everybody and allow ranking senators to choose the committees they like,” a senator-elect source said.
On how the other senator-aspirants reacted to the development, a northwest senator-elect said: “While Goje and Adamu took it in good faith; Ndume immediately protested to the APC governors at the meeting that what Oshiomhole did was unconstitutional.
“He made his feelings known and he was obviously bitter with the development. What pained Goje and Adamu was that they were not consulted. They said they would have loved to be consulted by the president and the party.”
Ndume kicks
Ndume made his protest public yesterday when he described the process that produced Lawan as not only “embarrassing” but also “unconstitutional.”
Addressing the media at his Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja, the lawmaker said: “What took place at the presidential dinner in Aso Rock on Monday night, where Oshiomhole as party chairman, announced Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as president of the ninth senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives respectively was very shocking to me and many of my colleagues.
“Oshiomhole in making the announcement or endorsement, did not even allow myself or senators Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) and Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), widely known to be in the race for the position to say anything.
“More disturbing was the fact that even Senator Lawan endorsed for the position, was not allowed to make any comment in form of acceptance speech or soliciting for support from other interested senators.”
He said the endorsement is at variance with the provisions of Section 50 (1a) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The provision of the constitution states: “There shall be a President and Deputy President of the Senate who shall be elected by the members of that house from among themselves.’’
He said gone were the days when the leadership of the national assembly was foisted on the lawmakers. He said leaders imposed on the lawmakers in the past did not last adding that the APC seemed have learnt nothing from the 2015 experience and the ones even before it.
“If you look at the history of the National Assembly, such action, normally do not go down well with members. In 1999, Evans Enwerem was imposed, he did not last. After that Wabara was also imposed and he did not also last. The PDP that was then accused of impunity did not do what the APC did yesterday.
“In 2003, PDP showed wisdom by opening up the contest by just zoning the position to the North-central and that led to the contest between David Mark and George Akume. Because that process was democratic, David Mark lasted two terms peacefully. I don’t think what happened yesterday has improved on the process but rather, worsened it.
“For the sake of cohesion and stability among party members as regards aspirations for such positions, what was expected from the party leadership, was to just zone the positions and allow contenders within each of the zones to sort it out either through consensus or shadow election.
“The 109 elected senators and 360 House of Representatives members are the constitutional kingmakers as far as the emergence of presiding officers of both chambers are concerned and not national chairman of a ruling party or even the president.”
He further said he had a vision for the senate because according to him the senate had drifted to a position it will not be able to serve its purpose.
“The Senate is supposed to be an institution of 109 senators to fashion out ways of stabilising the polity. It is not fair for somebody to appoint a leader for leaders. The leaders are supposed to appoint who should be their leader. The Senate president is supposed to be the President of the Senate not senators’ president. Now, we are again getting a senators’ president; but this country needs a senate president,’’ he added.
However, he said he would consult with party elders from his home state, Borno, and his colleagues, who encouraged him to join the race on the next line of action.
“It is not over until the Almighty Allah makes final decision on who becomes President of the 9th senate on the day of inauguration.’’
“I am now leaving this for God and for my people that elected me. I am going home (Borno State) right away to consult with the elders who encouraged me to vie for the position. So, I will engage in consultations before I take the final position. But, I want to say that the party has taken a position and I ultimately await the decision of the Almighty God and that of my colleagues,” said Ndume.
Nevertheless, the Borno State lawmaker pledged his support to Buhari and the party adding that the mastermind of the devious plot was Oshiomhole.
“I don’t even believe that President Buhari was in the know of what Oshiomhole did because he didn’t make any comment on leadership of the 9th assembly at the dinner but only greeted us before the organizers of the programme hurriedly called for rendition of the National Anthem.
“We all left the place in shock and disbelief but my commitment and loyalty to the party remains,” he said.
APC threatens to tame Ndume, other dissenting voices
But the party had threatened to deal with Ndume and any other agitator from the APC who would dare to disrespect the party’s choice(s).
APC spokesman, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu said the party does not expect any of its members to oppose its position on the zoning of leadership positions in legislative chambers.
“If Ndume actually understands democracy, with due respect to the number of years he has spent in the National Assembly as a lawmaker, he should realise that we are practicing presidential system of government.
“That would amount to indiscipline and our party’s constitution is very clear on indiscipline. The party has taken a position and anybody we presented for election and who has won an election on the platform of the APC is duty bound, morally bound and status bound to comply with what the party has decided.
“When you go against that position of the party, it amounts to indiscipline and our rules are clear on the supremacy of the party,” he said.
Group applauds Lawan’s endorsement
Meanwhile, a political pressure group, Sustainable Democracy Agenda (SUDA), commended Buhari and the Adams Oshiomhole-led national working committee of the part for Lawan’s endorsement.
A statement by the convener of the group, Mr. Ibrahim Haruna Usman said the timely intervention of the leadership of the APC in charting a direction for the emergence of presiding officers for the National Assembly is a welcome development.
“As a group that is interested in the growth of democracy all over Africa, SUDA commends the proactive approach of the Oshiomhole led APC, which has been endorsed by Mr. President in ensuring that lawmakers elected on the platform of the majority party avoid a division that could be devastating to the progress of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
“By this decision the party has effectively moved away from the indecision of 2015, which led to the power tussle that affected the productivity of the present Senate. We call on the APC leadership reign in all its senators-elect through sustained dialogue towards actualization of this resolution.
“The APC should also monitor the activities of any member of the party that may seek to jeopardize its resolve at leveraging on its majority in the legislature, which could adversely affect the delivery of President Buhari’s ‘Next Level’ agenda. SUDA is against any move at reenacting the 2015 scenario, which didn’t augur well for growth of democracy in the country,” said the group in a statement.
SUDA also called on the APC anointed candidate, Senator Ahmed Lawan not to relent in reaching out to all senators-elect including those of the opposition towards engendering a stable and democratically productive ninth Senate.
“We urge all incoming senators to key into the Lawan project and own it, as a way of creating a united atmosphere needed for actualization of their collective and individual legislative agenda. Rebellion as has been seen in the eight Senate only lead to self-destruct and institutional regression,” it added.
