Senate Presidency: Allow Senators-elect to exercise constitutional rights – Group

The Amalgamated All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups say the contest for the position of the President of the 10th Senate is constitutional matters and senators-elect must be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights to vote leaders of their choice.

The Director-General of the group, Dr Kailani Muhammad, said this on Wednesday at a news conference on the issues surrounding the election of the 10th Senate President in Abuja.

Muhammad, who is also the National Chairman, Tinubu/Shettima Network (TSN), described as rumours the endorsement of Sen. Godswill Akpabio as APC preferred candidate for senator presidency.

“The rumours going around of endorsement is indeed a total distraction from the tenets of democracy and must be discarded by all and sundry. We must allow the free will of choice by the senators-elect to flourish.

“The senators-elects must be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights to vote aspirants of their choice at the Senate Chambers, because democracy demands it,” he said.

The APC leadership reached a resolution on the two key offices in the National Assembly following a meeting of the NWC, on Monday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

After the meeting, Felix Morka, National Publicity Secretary of the party, said the NWC reached a compromise on the zoning arrangement for the 10th National Assembly.

Morka said: “The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met today, Monday, May 8, 2023 to consider reports of consultations and meetings held with the president-elect, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other party leaders and stakeholders on zoning arrangement for 10th National Assembly leadership positions.

“The NWC noted with respect the outcome of the meetings held between the president-elect and the leadership of the NWC. The NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and members of the party nationwide.

“The zoning arrangement reported to the NWC is as follows: Senate President: South-south, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Deputy Senate President: North-west, Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano); Speaker, House of Representatives, North-west, Hon. Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna); Deputy Speaker, South-east, Hon. Ben Kalu (Abia).

“We urge our party leaders, members, and all Nigerians to continue to work for peace and progress of our country during and beyond the current period of leadership transition.”

Muhammad recalled that about two days ago, the leadership of the APC took a stand on the issue of zoning the 10th senate presidency to the South –South.

“Sen. Godswill Akpabio used this to claim that the party has adopted him as the preferred candidate for the exalted position. To put the records straight, there is no such thing as zoning in the book of the APC as of now.

“To allay the fears of Nigerians and indeed the aspirants to the office, the Publicity Secretary of our great party, Mr Felix Snooker, came out on Channels Television to debunk the statement, and likened it to a damaging rumour.

“Felix categorically stated that the party and aspirants are still talking and rubbing minds with other stakeholders and negotiating to see how the issue can be resolved amicably for the country to move forward.

“Felix said categorically said that the party is working towards a peaceful resolution of the issue, such that can ensure for a developed Nigeria, devoid of rancour.

“We recall the recent scenario during the APC primaries where President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu endorsed Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, as Presidential Candidate, but President – elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu eventually emerged the winner,” he said.

A cross-section of senators-elect from various political parties has also rejected external influence in the election of their presiding officers.

At the induction programme organised for them by the National Assembly management, in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, the senators-elect insisted that to ensure full independence of the parliament, the constitutional provisions on the emergence of presiding officers must be followed.

Senator-elect Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said members of the 10th Senate would reject any attempt by the executive to pocket the legislature.

Nwoko said: “The overwhelming majority of the senators-elect are of the opinion that we must be independent. That is the only way we can take the executive to account.

”The parliament is not meant to be pocketed by the executive. There are some of us that are already well-established before we came here. So, we are not pushovers. We are very independent minded.”

Senator-elect AbdulRaham Kawu-Sumaila, a former minority leader of the House of Representatives, now representing Kano South on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), said that any attempt to impose presiding officers on the 10th National Assembly would fail.

“On the issue of the senate presidency, we should follow the constitution.

”There is a clear and express provision in the constitution, which allows members of the National Assembly to choose their presiding officers among themselves, irrespective of party affiliation, religious or ethnic considerations.”