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Tag: Ndume

  • Breaking: I won’t step down, Ndume vows after meeting Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday met behind closed doors with the former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume.

    Ndume has been aspiring to be President of the 9th Senate due for inauguration in June.

    He had declared his intention to run for the number three highest political office despite endorsement of the current Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan for the position by the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).

    Ndume, declined to speak on camera with State House correspondents on Monday at the end of about one- hour meeting with Osinbajo.

    Read Also:  Osinbajo, Ndume meet in Aso Rock

    But he indicated that he was not ready to step down from the race.

    When asked by reporters whether he would step down, he asked rhetorically: “Me?”

    He declined to speak further on the Senate Presidency race as he maintained that he was still holding consultation.
    “This is not the time to talk now because I am still holding consultation,” he stated.

    Details shortly…

  • Breaking: Osinbajo, Ndume meet in Aso Rock

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday met behind closed doors with the former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume.

    The meeting started around 3.20pm when Ndume arrived the Vice President’s office.

    Ndume has been aspiring to be President of the 9th Senate in June.

    Read Also: Osinbajo attends 25th National commemoration of Rwandan genocide

    He had declared his intention to run for the number three highest political office despite endorsement of the current Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan for the post by the ruling All Progressives Congress.

    The meeting with Osinbajo was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

    Details shortly…

  • Don’t impose leaders on NASS, Ndume’s supporters tell APC

    A coalition of pro- democracy groups under the auspices of National Coalition in Defence of Democracy has asked the leadership of the All Progressives Congress and the Presidency to avoid the mistake of the past and refrain from imposing leaders on the National Assembly, especially the Senate.

    The group warned that attempts by previous governments to impose leaders on the National Assembly have always ended badly with the eventual impeachment of those imposed by the Presidency, giving examples of such impositions by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    National Coordinator of the coalition, Ambassador Auwal Alhassan Gama told a news conference on Monday in Abuja that rather than micro zone the position of the President of the Senate to an individual, they were of the view that the senators whom they described as men of integrity should be allowed to pick their own leaders.

    They expressed the belief that if allowed to select their leaders, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume would emerge as the Senate President considering his wealth of experience as a legislator and would ensure a cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature.

    Reminded that the leadership of the party has already taken a stand and may not turn back on it, Gama said “it is not constitutional to micro zone the positions to individuals. Having zoned it to the zones, it is our belief that the zone should be allowed to decide on who they want as doing so would amount to disenfranchising others.

    “We don’t support picking an individual by the party. It is our belief that the 109 senators who are men of integrity should be allowed to make their choice of who should lead them. But if our suggestions are not carried, it would go down in history that we spoke out.

    Asked why they were particular about the position of the Senate President and silent on that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives which has not been given to any zone, Gama said they decided to speak out on the position of Senate President since the party has already made its decision on it known.

    Read Also: Lawan, Goje, Ndume: Who becomes next Senate President?

    He said: “the forum observed among other things that one of the reasons why the present government under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR did not meet up the expectations of many Nigerians in the areas of Infrastructure and Human development was a result of the sour relationship between the Executive and the Legislative arms of Government. This has created setbacks in the areas of non-full implementation of the budget and alteration on key intended project by the government.

    “The National Coalition In Defence of Democracy in its wisdom felt the need to call on the newly elected members of the upper chambers of the National Assembly irrespective of the political party to consider Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, a three term senator from Borno South Senatorial district of Borno State, a Patriot, a detribaised Nigerian and an experienced member of the National Assembly who has contributed to the growth of our democracy for the position of President of the Senate.

    “The decision to call for Support for Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume’s emergence as the next Senate president is born out of our desire for a healthy working relationship between the Executives and the Legislature for a better delivery of democratic dividends. It is our believe that he will bring his matured sense of reasoning, experience and fear of God into play as the Chairman of the National Assembly, he is one politician we know and trust Will unite all interest in the National Assembly.

    “While we salute the courage and goodwill of the presidency in allowing the independent of all arms of government to run its activities independently, it is equally important for all stakeholders including the APC National Working Committee to provide a level playing ground for all its members at the North Eastern part of the country who deemed it fit to contest.

    “We wish to call on all members of the National Assembly Elect, especially those of the upper chambers to support the call for Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume’s Senate Presidency. We were part of the process that brought you on-board and it is our humble plea and believes that Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume will not disappoint us.”

  • Ndume: Will this cook spoil the broth?

    Ali Ndume will always be Ali Ndume the rebel that wouldn’t play by the rules.
    For him, it is almost his calling to dance a different style even if in a choreographed medley. He is the lone runner that requires the support of others to breast the tape first. And so, rather than get needlessly agitated over his decision to kick against his party’s preference for Senator Ahmed Lawan for the position of the Senate President in the soon-to-be-inaugurated 9th National Assembly, those who have followed his political bacchanalia over the years would understand that this Senator, who initially represented Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State in House of Representatives, was merely playing to type. In fact, he gets some sort of kicks from this game of deceit and self-conceit. Why did I say this? Ndume’s trajectory, as espoused in a piece this writer penned with a colleague, Onyedi Ojiabor, on June 27, 2015 painted, in crying words, an image of a man who would grasp at every straws to remain high and above his peers. It would have been surprising if Ndume, the sole beneficiary of the Senator Bukola Saraki leadership coup of 2015 had not seen anything wrong in the All Progressive Congress’ attempt at forestalling a repeat of that legislative heist in the 9th Senate. It is not just how this controversial senator rolls. No, not at all.

    In the piece titled Ndume: A leader’s garland for rebellion, I surmised: “The name, Mohammed Ali Ndume, means different things to different people, especially those who have followed the developments at the nation’s highest legislative body—the Senate—in the last eight years (make that 12 years if you will). While quite a number of senators have come and gone without making any impression worth writing about, Senator Ndume’s case is different. His entrance into the nation’s national consciousness was without its fascinating, even if disturbing, drama. Today, Ndume is a focus of media attention for another reason. In a brazen rebellion against the wishes of the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Senator from Borno State, the hotspot of the killings, bombings and violent attacks by the members of the Boko Haram sect, Ndume was picked as Senate Majority Leader by the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki. His emergence, just like Saraki’s some few weeks past, has torn the political calculus of the APC into shreds and raised serious fundamental questions about party’s supremacy on the issues relating to key appointments. But who is Ndume and what does his emergence portend for the 8th National Assembly and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari? As an All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) politician then, Ndume was elected to represent Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency in April 2003 and was re-elected in April 2007 on the same platform.  He was appointed Minority Leader in the House of Representatives where he was a vocal critic of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as he was always heaping the blame for the country’s woes on the party’s bumbling leadership. For example, he said in an August 2010 interview: “The PDP in the last 11 years has vandalized Nigeria; they have only introduced kidnapping, assassination, militancy, armed robbery, power degeneration and widespread religious crisis.” It was, however, a twist of irony that Ndume defected to the PDP, the same party he was criticising in December 2010. He cited alleged injustices as his reason for leaving the ANPP.

    “To further justify his defection to PDP, he claimed the people from the grassroots of Southern Borno were solidly behind him and his action. Ndume claimed that he was not being given a level-playing field in the competition with other ANPP aspirants for the candidature in the Senate election. Sources close to the intricate political game playing out in Borno then explained that Ndume’s defection to PDP was mainly due to the sour relationship with the then leader of the ANPP in the state, Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. His defection to the PDP was seen by observers as a major blow to the ANPP. Ndume was considered the major financial backbone of the ANPP in Borno-South senatorial zone, and was considered one of the most dynamic of the lawmakers from the Northeast zone. Following his defection, the PDP re-opened the sale of nomination forms. Alhaji Sanda Garba, who had been the only aspirant for the South Borno Senate seat, stepped down to pave the way for Ndume as the PDP candidate.

    “In the election, Ndume was declared winner with 146,403 votes, ahead of Dr. Asaba Vilita Bashir of the ANPP with 133,734 votes and Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) with 20,414 votes.  That marked the beginning of Ndume’s romance with a party he once vilified with a rare vigour and passion. Moving with the political tide during the merger of forces that gave the PDP a run for the presidential slot in 2015, Ndume, again in company with other Senators from Borno State, defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to actualize his desire to return to the Senate. He won his election in the March 29, 2015 National Assembly polls. He quickly began to show more than a passing interest in the Senate Presidency. Ndume quickly aligned himself with a group of Senators who tagged themselves “Senators of Like Minds”, principally formed by Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to actualize his (Saraki’s) Senate Presidency.

    “Ndume was among the Northeast Senators who disowned Senator Ahmed Lawan’s endorsement by the zone.  He criticised what he called “the overzealousness of Ahmed Lawan,” and insisted that Lawan was unlikely to emerge Senate President. On June 9th, 2015, at the inauguration of the 8th Senate, Ndume stood as the Rock of Gibraltar in the Senate chamber to give support to the emergence of Senator Saraki in disobedience to the APC leadership directive. He was, later the same day, nominated to run for the position of Deputy President of the Senate, but he was defeated by Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP Senator from Enugu West. That week, Saraki announced Ndume as the Senate Majority Leader, again, in total disregard to APC leadership’s instruction that Lawan should be made the Senate Majority Leader. Ndume was said to have been nominated and endorsed for the position by the North East APC Senate caucus.

    “Political observers see his emergence as the prize for the brazen way the Senators of “Like Minds” stood against the wishes of the leadership of the APC to nominate its preferred candidates for the top positions in the National Assembly. This set of politicians not only worked against the realization of the wishes of the party but also went into an unholy alliance with senators in the opposition PDP, which culminated in the election of Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President. Ndume’s nomination and subsequent confirmation by Saraki as Majority Leader is, therefore, being read as his epaulette for the treachery and damning rebellion that signpost ominous consequence not only for the party but also for the nation.”

    Well, is there anything to add to this? We need not rehash how, when the cookies crumbled, Ndume was left in the sun to dry by the triumvirates of Saraki, Dino Melaye and Ike Ekweremadu when he was suspended and eventually removed as Senate Leader. In a sudden twist of fate, Ndume’s wreath of treachery which he wore with extravagant aplomb while it lasted was gifted to Lawan as a garland of honour for loyalty to party supremacy. It was the stepping stone to Lawan’s eventual endorsement as the heir apparent to the Senate President seat by President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. And so, it runs against commonsense to expect Ndume, of all persons, to accept the fact that fate is playing a fast one on him. And knowing that treachery still has a pivotal role to play in the scheme of things with the Peoples Democratic Party senators-elect threatening to vie for principal positions in the Senate, Ndume knows that the cards are not entirely stacked against him should the ruling party sleep on his hands again.  That is why no one should shove off his capacity for mischief and ability to be the extra cook that spoils the broth.

    Will he make himself available to be used as the one that scuttles his party’s plans to take full charge of the affairs in the National Assembly? Is he another Saraki in waiting having released a nine-point agenda earlier this week despite his party’s position? The days ahead are pregnant with all sorts of political revelries. And the answers to these riddles lie in the belly of time. So, let’s wait on time.

  • Ndume spurns APC, steps up campaign for Senate President

    Senator Ali Ndume has stepped up his campaign for the position of Senate President in the Ninth Senate, despite the endorsement of Senator Ahmed Lawan by the leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC)

    Ndume, who represents Borno South senatorial district, has rolled out a nine-point agenda in handbills he circulated in Abuja on Monday.

    One of the points in the agenda was a promise to improve upon the performance of the 8th Senate, stating that he will make the office of the Senate President less attractive by reducing unnecessary privileges attached to the office

    Also on his agenda is the independence of the legislature, operation of checks and balances and strict adherence to the principle of separation of powers.

    He added that he will prioritise and ensure the passage of the Constituency Development Bill, which will make constituency projects more transparent, accountable, efficient and effective.

    Ndume also stated that if elected, he would mobilise other senators to agree on timeline for confirmation of nominees of Mr. President, passage of bills. The third-termer senator said with him in the saddle, the national budget would be passed within 90 days from the day of submission to the National Assembly.

    He pledged to make laws that will block leakages in the system; devise improved means of generating revenue, amendment and review of tax laws, and emphasis on reduction of reliance on local and foreign loans to finance budget.

    “To run the Ninth Senate transparency, through open accountability with full participation of all senators. For example, we will transfer the approving powers of the privileges of the senators like foreign travels, allowances to Senate Services Committee or a new committee to be known as Ways and Means Committee”, the document added.

    Ndume concluded that the Senate under his leadership will uphold the governing party’s principles and policies, in addition to making laws and reviewing existing ones, to key into APC’s Next Level Agenda for the country.

  • Senate Presidency: APC’s endorsement of Lawan unconstitutional – Ndume

    The endorsement of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the positions of Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives, in the 9th National Assembly, may have sparked off a crisis of confidence in the ruling party.

    Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, one of the contenders for the Senate Presidency, on Tuesday described the endorsement APC handed to Lawan as unconstitutional and completely against the spirit of fair play.

    The Borno South Senator told reporters in Abuja that the position of the party on who emerges the Senate President cannot stand as it did not follow due process.

    The National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was reported to have announced the endorsement of Lawan and Gbajabiamila as candidates of the APC for the posts of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

    Ndume said that he consulted widely and was given the go-ahead by party leaders to vie for the position.

    He insisted the Constitution provided the procedure for the election of the Senate President

    For him, the best the party could have done was to zone the slot of Senate President to a geo-political zone and allow the zone to choose their candidate

    Although Ndume said that he was not desperate for the position of Senate President, he assured that he would consult his colleagues on the way forward.

    Read Also: Ndume joins race for Senate President

    Ndume said: “First of all, let me say that the decision by the party to settle for an individual instead of zoning the position to a particular geopolitical zone and also consulting or allowing the senators from that zone to decide who among them they prefer as Senate President, is a surprise.

    “We were surprised on Monday when national chairman of our party told us a decision had been taken to adopt Ahmad Lawan as candidate from the North East for the position of the President of the Senate.

    “The reason why I am shocked and I am sure that is the feeling of my colleagues, is that the constitutional provision for the emergence of the leadership of the Senate is clearly spelt out.

    “Section 51 (a) of the Constitution says that “there shall be a Senate President and Deputy Senate President who shall be elected by members of the House .

    “Section 1 of the Constitution clearly states that “this Constitution is binding on all Nigerians and government agencies.

    “It went further to say that any other law that contravenes the provision of the Constitution is null and void.

    “As a party that is supposed to be democratic and as a government that insists on allowing due process to prevail, this is strange. A candidate of APC normally emerges by one of three means, namely- consensus, indirect elections and direct primaries.

    “As I said, such a decision was taken and we were not given the chance to ask questions. We were not allowed to make comments.

    “The President made his remarks and after that, the national anthem was recited.

    “Even the chosen candidate was not given the chance to thank us or say something about it. Those of us that have indicated interests were not consulted or given the chance to make any comments.

    “I left there with that shock but I slept well notwithstanding. I am one among equal. I am just one among 109 senators. I am not better than them, except for Lawan. I came back and slept well.

    “My wife and children were worried about my feelings. I was even late for the prayers in the morning.

    “I try my best in everything I do and I leave the rest to God. I am now leaving this to God and those who elected me. I am going home to consult with elders who gathered themselves and asked me to contest. I will consult with them and then take a final decision.

    “The party has taken a decision. I ultimately wait on the decision of Almighty God and my colleagues. That is what I will say for now.”

    Asked to explain what he meant by waiting for his colleagues to decide his fate, he said: “You should not be confused. The constitution is clear. It says the Senate shall elect its president and deputy.

    “Like I said, my decision to contest for the position of the Senate President is not personal. Even my colleagues encouraged me to run. Not just the elected ones. They said I should vie for the position. Even then, the party didn’t say it had elected Ahmad Lawan. It only said it has nominated Lawan.

    “The way the leadership of the National Assembly should emerge is clearly stated. Anything contrary to that means it is illegal and it can’t stand. As I said, we wait on God.

    “I am not the one saying this. It is the decision of my colleagues. I am one of those offering himself to contest for the position. I can’t even nominate myself. Someone has to nominate and second me. I can’t say that a candidate has been imposed on us. The decision is now left for my colleagues. If you look at the history of the National Assembly, such decisions have never gone down well.

    “In 1999, Evan Ewerem was imposed. He didn’t last. Wabara was also imposed. It didn’t last. After that, the PDP we have accused of impunity didn’t do this.

    “In 2007, the PDP showed wisdom by zoning the position to North Central. That was what led to the contest between David Mark and George Akume. Because that happened, Mark served for two terms. Mark would have served for another term if PDP had won. He served his tenure peacefully.

  • Borno stakeholders back Ndume for Senate President

    Stakeholders and elders from Borno State have thrown their weights behind their son, Senator Mohmmed Ali Ndume, to emerge as the next Senate President.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja yesterday, the Borno elders on the platform of Concerned Borno Citizens expressed confidence in the ability of Ndume to provide quality leadership for the Senate and partner the executive to offer the citizens good governance.

    The group, which include former governors, former ministers and other APC leaders, argued that Ndume should be considered for the position, considering the fact Borno State gave the party over 90 per cent of votes in the just concluded election.

    Their spokesman and Ambassador Dauda Danladi said, however, that while angling for the position, they were not unaware of the fact that the party would eventually zone the position and the fact that other zones are also agitating for the position.

    He added that if the party eventually zoned the seat to another zone, they would have no option than to support such zone.

    Danladi insisted that Ndume is the most qualified person to occupy the position, considering his antecedent as a lawmaker and loyal party man.

    He said: “At this critical moment of our quest for credible leadership, we give glory to God Almighty for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. We congratulate your excellencies. We also seize this opportunity to congratulate members-elect of the National Assembly as well as governors-elect and members of State Assemblies.

    “We pray to Almighty God to give your excellencies and parliamentarians at all levels the courage; wisdom and good health to justify the confidence reposed in you by Nigerians.

    “There is no doubt that the 9th National Assembly has a critical role to play if government is to actualise all its developmental projects, programmes and policies that will propel Nigeria into the industrialised world in the near future. Hence, a cooperative partnership driven by the National Assembly that will support, encourage and work with the executive to accelerate the achievement of socio-economic objectives of the government cannot be overemphasised.

    “It is in this regard that we the Concerned Citizens of Borno are coming forward to urge Senator Ndume to contest for the office of the Senate President in the 9th National Assembly. We are convinced that Senator Ndume possesses all the qualities and requirements to hold the office of the Senate President, being a loyal party man and a ranking senator.”

  • Borno stakeholders back Ndume for Senate President

    As the battle for the leadership of the 9th National Assembly hots up, stakeholders and elders from Borno state have thrown their weight behind their son, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to emerge as the next President of the Senate

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Borno elders on the platform of Concerned Borno Citizens expressed confidence in the ability of Senator Ndume to provide quality leadership for the Senate and partner the executive to offer Nigerians good governance.

    The group, comprising of former governors, former Ministers and other leaders of the APC in Borno state argued that Ndume should be considered for the position considering the fact that Borno state gave the party over 90 percent of the votes from the state in the just concluded election.

    Spokesman of the group and former Ambassador Dauda Danladi said however that while the angling for the position of the Senate President, they are not unaware of the fact that the party will eventually zone the position and the fact that other zones of the country are also agitating for the position.

    He said further that if the party eventually zoned the seat to another zone, they will have no option than to support such zone, but insisted that Ndume was the most qualified person to occupy the seat considering his antecedent as a lawmaker and loyal party man.

    He said: “At this critical moment of our quest for credible leadership, we give glory to God Almighty for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yeml Osinbajo. We congratulate your Excellencies. We also seize this opportunity to congratulate Members elect of the National Assembly as well as Governors elect and Members of State Assemblies.

    “We pray to Almighty God to give your Excellencies and Parliamentarians at all levels the courage; wisdom and good health to justify the confidence reposed ln you by Nigerians.

    “There is no doubt that the 9th National Assembly has a critical role to play if Government is to actualize all its developmental projects, programs and policies that will propel Nigeria into the industrialized world in the near future. Hence a cooperative partnership driven National Assembly that will support, encourage and work with the executive to accelerate the achievement of socio economic objectives of the Government cannot be overemphasized.

    “It is in this regard that we the Concerned Citizens of Borno are coming forward to urge Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to contest for the office of the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly. We are convinced that Senator Ndume possesses all the qualities and requirements to hold the office of the Senate President being a loyal party man and a ranking Senator.

    “He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and 2007 and held the position of a Minority Leader of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, he has been in the Senate since 2011 representing Borno South Senatorial District with distinction.

    “Senator Ndume emerged as the Senate Leader In 2015 and was removed In a controversial circumstance in January 2017 ostensibly for his defense of party policies and for being a loyalist to the Government. His stint as a Lawmaker in both chambers of the National Assembly from 2003 to date are there to speak for themselves, where he stood firm In the cause of his people and contributed immensely In debates and passages of people oriented bills and motions.

    “In the run up to the 2019 elections, he was appointed as the North/East zonal Director for the APC Presidential Campaign Council. In all of the above, Senator Ndume put In his best to achieve the desired results. It is for these and many more reasons that we are commending this illustrious son to Nigerians.

    “Our plea for the Distinguished Senator to seek for the office of the President of the Senate is premised on the fact that the North/East geo-political zone where he hails from gave the President the second highest vote cast. This is in addition to the fact that the region has been ravaged by insurgency from 2009 until the coming of this administration in 2015.

    “Borno State being the epicenter of the crises deserves serious attention. The office of the President of the Senate will therefore offer the state a good opportunity to fast track reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of millions of displaced persons. It will also be apt to add that Borno state has the highest percentage of 92% of votes cast for President Buhari in the just concluded 2019 election.”

  • Lawan, Goje, Ndume, Adamu battle for Senate Presidency

    •PDP in fresh plot to pitch Dogara against Gbajabiamila as Speaker

    The race for the leadership of the 9th session of the National Assembly is on, just a week after the election into the legislative arm.

    Already in contention are the Senate Presidency and the Speakership of the House of Representatives.

    The Nation can now reveal that no fewer than five candidates are seeking to head the 9th Senate when it is inaugurated in June.

    They are the outgoing Senate Leader  Ahmad Lawan; a former Senate Leader,  Ali Ndume; a former Governor of Gombe State and the outgoing Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation,   Danjuma Goje; and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG), ex-Governor Adamu Abdullahi.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State who is also being touted as a possible candidate does not seem to stand a chance on account of zoning as he is from the same zone -Southwest- and same state -Ogun- as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    He was suspended by the National Working Committee of APC on Friday for alleged anti party activities and recommended for expulsion by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC).

    For now, only the current Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, is the front runner in the race for the Speakership of the Green Chambers, although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is allegedly hatching a plot to push outgoing Speaker Yakubu Dogara for a return to the seat.

    Dogara emerged in controversial circumstances in 2015 to clinch the post and sources said the PDP to which he now belongs may look for an alternative to Dogara in a desperate bid to stop Gbajabiamila, on the strength of his closeness to the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    PDP is banking on a likely split in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House Caucus to return Dogara as Speaker.

    But pressure is mounting on President Muhammadu Buhari to take charge to avert a repeat of the political scheming which led to the emergence of the outgoing President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Speaker Dogara in 2015 against the directive of the APC.

    The Nation also gathered that some forces in APC want party leaders to prevail on the President to give members of the National Assembly a free hand to elect their leaders.

    Results of the last  National Assembly elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), shows that the  APC won 65 of the 109  (about 59%) senatorial seats in the country, leaving the  PDP with  41 Senatorial seats (37%) and Young Progressives Party’s (YPP) one seat (1%).

    The APC has also won 200 of the 360 House of Representatives seats – leaving PDP with well over 100 seats. The final figure for the two major parties is still not clear as there are still unresolved election contests for several House of Representatives seats.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that although the APC has the majority of the seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, the emergence of the President of the Senate and the Speaker will still require the input of the PDP.

    It was learnt that the APC will need two-thirds majority in the Senate (about 73 votes) to be able to pass any bill.

    The APC   secured 61 seats in the Red Chambers in 2015 before the PDP infiltrated its ranks to secure the office of the Deputy President of the Senate for Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

    Following the development, all the candidates aspiring to lead the Senate and the House have started reaching out to elected PDP members.

    A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The horse-trading to lead the Senate and the House of Representatives has begun.

    “It is going to be a tough contest because all the candidates are ranking. For example, Ndume has been in the National Assembly for 16 years with eight years spent in the House and another eight years in the Senate. Lawan has been a Senator since 2007 with Adamu and Goje joining in 2011.

    “Some governors and APC stalwarts are gambling with the choice of Governor Ibikunle Amosun to lead the Senate as a bosom friend of the President. They have linked the suspension of the governor to the plot to install him as Senate President.

    “This jostling for power is despite of the fact that the APC is yet to define its zoning or power sharing formula. Those aspiring to lead the National Assembly are banking on the 2015 formula of the APC, which ceded the Senate Presidency to the Northeast and the Speaker to the Southwest, before the President of the Senate, Speaker Dogara and some APC lawmakers revolted.

    “The lack of zoning formula made ex-Governor Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the Northcentral to join the race. As the chairman of the Parliamentary Support Group which resisted the outgoing Senate President to save President Buhari, he believes he should lead the Senate.

    Responding to a question, the source said: “All the candidates are already lobbying not only to have the Senate presidency and House Speaker zoned to their areas but to be anointed.

    “Unless it is carefully managed, the Senate may witness a repeat of the 2015 crisis which PDP took advantage of.”

    Sources said that although Gbajabiamila has a brighter chance to be the next Speaker, the PDP might still resist him.

    It was reliably gathered that the PDP might back Dogara’s return as Speaker by depending on a possible split in the APC caucus. It was also learnt that the PDP might throw mud at Gbajabiamila like it did in 2015 in order to stop the APC candidate.

    Another source said: “The PDP is working on another joker to checkmate Gbajabiamila’s ambition again. Some PDP leaders are uncomfortable with Gbajabiamila, who is a political son of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who worked harder to ensure the defeat of PDP at the presidential poll.

    “PDP actually wants Dogara back in line with its pre-election plans. The opposition can only succeed if the APC Caucus in the House is disunited.

    “The only challenge APC is facing is about likely imposition of the Senate President and the Speaker. Most of the candidates want the race left open equitably.

    “This is why some APC leaders are pleading with President Muhammadu Buhari and party leaders to meet and work out an equitable power sharing module.”

    The source added: “I think in the next two months, the game will be more interesting. If Dogara’s candidacy does not fly, PDP might sponsor another ranking member from the Southwest to be the Speaker.”

    A source in government said: “President Buhari has really not shown interest now on those who will lead the National Assembly. Maybe he has a mindset but he is yet to discuss with party leaders.”

    Lawan is spending his 2oth year in the National Assembly having being elected into the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003 before becoming a Senator.

    Set up zoning mechanism for NASS leadership to avoid 2015 scenario, Nabena tells APC

    The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Yekini Nabena, yesterday asked the leadership of the party to set in motion machinery for the zoning and selection of preferred principal officers of the incoming 9th National Assembly.

    In a statement in Abuja, he said this was necessary to avoid a repeat of the crisis that engulfed the party in 2015 over the struggle for the leadership of the legislative arm.

    Describing the National Assembly as strategic to APC’s change agenda for the country, he said President Muhammadu Buhari’s direct involvement and views on the matter “will be very important as the party works around the zoning and selection arrangements for principal NASS officers.”

    He added:  “The Peoples Democratic Party has lost the presidential election and they have now adopted a plan B from their infamous Dubai strategy meeting.

    “The plan is to hijack the incoming National Assembly leadership by repeating their heinous coup in the previous Assembly.

    “The APC must prevent a repeat of a situation where despite our overwhelming majority in the outgoing 8th Senate and House of Representatives, its leadership was hijacked by saboteurs and their opposition PDP collaborators.”

  • Ndume accuses National Assembly leadership of slowing down passage

    FORMER Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume has accused the leadership of the National Assembly under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of deliberately slowing down the consideration and passage of the 2019 budget.

    Ndume also contended that the delay by the Senate to begin debate of the general principles of the N8.83 trillion Appropriation Bill should have started, if the All Progressives Congress (APC) senators were in charge of the leadership of the upper chamber.

    The Borno South senator insisted that as far as APC senators were concerned, the 2019 budget can be considered within a week and passed.

    He noted that it appears that the National Assembly, under the leadership of PDP lawmakers, were not interested in the consideration of the fiscal proposals.

    When told that that the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan or the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’ Allah, who should move a motion to kick-start debate on general principles of the budget were not in the chamber on Tuesday and yesterday, Ndume insisted that the speed for any legislative action on the budget lies with the two presiding officers and principal officers.

    Ndume praised the House of Representatives for starting debate on general principles of the budget yesterday.