Politics

Seven In Battle For Senate President

Published

2 years ago

March 23, 2023

Editor

Seven senators-elect from five geo-political zones have thrown their hats into the ring for the 10th Senate President.

All the aspirants are of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Three of them – Barau Jibrin (Kano North, Northwest); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North, Southeast) and David Umahi (Ebonyi South, Southeast), have made their interest public to chair the next National Assembly.

The 10th Senate is billed for inauguration on June 13 after the Proclamation of the 10th National Assembly by the President.

Senate Chief Whip; Jibrin is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation and Umahi doubles as Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum.

Other senators-elect eying the position are incumbent Senate President Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North, Northeast); Senate Services Committee Chairman, Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East, Northcentral); Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South, Northeast) and former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom, Southsouth).

Last week, APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, told aspirants seeking presiding offices to await the party’s zoning arrangement.

It was at a parley with National Assembly members-elect with the president-elect, vice president-elect and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC).

Jibrin promised to officially declare his intention to lead the Red Chamber in a matter of days.

The second-ranking senator-elect to make to publicly show interest, Jibrin described himself as the most experienced among senators-elect seeking to lead the 10th Senate.

Declaring his intention on Tuesday, Kalu said he will contest the position because ‘it is his turn to be Senate President’.

Governor Umahi, who dropped the hint to run for the position during yesterday’s State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, urged President-elect Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership to zone the office to the Southeast.

But the Kano North senator dismissed recourse to religious sentiments by some aspirants instead of competence and record of performance as criteria for electing the next Senate President.

Jibrin, who has been in the National Assembly since 1999 and in the Senate since 2015, insisted that the Senate Standing Rule prioritises seniority (ranking) and legislative experience above other considerations.

The senator said: “I intend to seek to be the President of the 10th Senate. In the next few days, I will start my campaign and make a formal declaration.

“The legislature is a distinct arm of government that doesn’t work based on sentiments, it works on your ability to get the job done.

“It is the tradition all over the world and it is also stated there in our rule book and the rules are drafted from our Constitution.

“It is stated there in our Standing Rules that aspirations of elections for the seat of the Senate Presidency shall be in accordance with ranking.

“Among those who are running for the seat of the Senate Presidency, I am the most ranked senator.

“So, it is constitutional and among those who are showing their intentions to run for the Senate Presidency, I am the most experienced.

“The issue is that of competence. You need to be grounded in the residue of the legislature before you become the Senate President. Do you now play against competence based on sentiments?”

Disagreeing with claims that it would not augur well for the next APC’s administration to have a Muslim Senate President, Jibrin said: “Remember that David Mark was a Christian, his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, was a Christian and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, was a Christian because they were the most experienced and ranking and that is the tradition, so do we now relegate competence for other sentiments?

“Bringing religious sentiment won’t fly. It’s about competence, not sentiment. When we talk about experience, I’m the most experienced.”

Jibrin added: “There is a need to reward performance. The Northwest deserves to produce the Senate President because we gave the President-elect the highest votes.

“We want our President to go for a second term. We saw what he did in Lagos and want him to replicate that across the country.”

On Tuesday, Kalu urged APC national leadership to zone the Senate presidency to his Igbere country home in Abia North Senatorial District, Abia State.

Kalu said: “The question is whether I will run for the position of Senate President. Yes, I am ready to run for Senate President if the party zones it to my region because the party is supreme.

“If they want to zone, they should zone it to my village so nobody would contest it against me. I don’t even want them to zone it to the South…I am hoping that Nigerian people will pray for me to be the Senate President because it is my turn.”

Umahi urged the party to zone the Speakership of the House of Representatives to the Northwest.

The governor noted that zoning the two top positions to the Southeast and Northwest will be in the interest of equity, justice and fairness.

He said it was time to break protocol and bend the rules adding that the focus should be how to redeem the country.

Umahi said: “I plead and request the leadership of APC and the president-elect to please for the sake of equity, Justice and fairness zone the Senate President to Southeast and the Speaker of House of Representatives to Northwest.

“This is for inclusiveness, this will assure Nigerians of a total reunion and it will also calm frayed nerves.

“Miracle is when God set aside rules and breaks protocols. I am asking the APC leadership and the National Assembly leadership to set aside the rules so that we can get the best for the leadership of the national assembly.

“If the APC family zones the Senate presidency to the Southeast, I am indicating interest on the platform that I have been in public service for the past 16 years so you can rightly say that I understand administration,” he said.

The governor insisted that zoning the speakership position to the Northwest will calm frayed nerves in the country.

He declared Ebonyi a complete APC state having given almost all the National Assembly seats to the party, adding that the governor-elect and majority of the state lawmakers are also APC members.

Umahi said: “When you have administered a state, which is more complex than any other position other than that of the presidency, I want to put myself forward and I plead with the National Assembly to amend the rules.

“We should be looking for the best. Anyone elected into the National Assembly is the best but let God be allowed to choose.

“We need to elect a leadership that will rebuild the nation. I put myself forward without prejudice to whatever is the will of God and the wish of our party leadership, the president-elect and vice president-elect.”
NATION

Up Next

Polls: Delta YPP Gov Candidate To Drag Nigeria to EU, Others

Don't Miss

Your Votes Broke Gates Of Hell, Otti Tells Abia Voters

Comments

Politics

Ekiti 2026: APC Sets N40m For Nomination, Offers Discounts For Youths, Women

Published

21 hours ago

August 5, 2025

Editor

The All Progressives Congress has released a revised schedule of activities and timetable for the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State.

The party also sets nomination and expression of interest forms at a combined N50 million, offered significant concessions, including exemptions for female aspirants and persons with disabilities, and a 50% discount on nomination fees for youths aged 25 to 40.

According to the timetable issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, the schedule outlines a series of pre-election activities beginning with the release of the notice to the Ekiti State chapter on Friday, July 26, 2025.

The party said the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms is set to commence on Monday, August 26, 2025.

It stated that the update of the party’s membership register for those eligible to participate in the primaries will take place from Monday, July 29, to Friday, August 9, 2025.

The ruling party said the expression of interest and nomination forms will be available for purchase from Monday, August 26, and will close on Friday, August 30, 2025.

The party said the last day for submission of completed forms, including the accompanying documents, is Thursday, September 11, 2025.

“Screening of aspirants is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, while the publication of the screening results will be done the following day, Wednesday, September 24. Aspirants who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the screening may submit appeals on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

“The ward congress to elect delegates is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, 2025, while appeals arising from the congress will be entertained on Monday, September 29. The party’s governorship primary election will take place on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, with the appeal process concluding on Thursday, October 2, 2025,” the timetable read.

The party said the cost of the nomination form has been pegged at ₦40 million, while the expression of interest form will cost ₦10 million, bringing the total to ₦50 million.

“Female aspirants and persons with disabilities are exempted from paying for the nomination form and are only required to purchase the expression of interest form. Youths aged 25 to 40 will receive a 50 percent discount on the nomination form,” it added.

The party also announced that the forms would be available for purchase at the Directorate of Organisation at APC’s National Headquarters in Abuja. Meanwhile, the delegate form will cost ₦5,000.

The APC stressed that only financial members of the party whose membership has been active for at least three months before the release of the timetable will be eligible to participate.

The party urged interested members to contact its Directorate of Organisation or reach out via the contact number provided in the document.

Politics

2027: Peter Obi Is Honest, His 4-year Term Promise Is Sacrosanct – PDP Chieftain

Published

1 day ago

August 5, 2025

Editor

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dan Ulasi, has thrown his weight behind the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on his four-year term pledge.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, had declared that if elected in 2027, he would spend only four years and would not seek re-election.

His promise has attracted criticism from some quarters, with some politicians expressing skepticism.

In an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, Ulasi said Obi’s promise should not be doubted, describing him as an honest person.

He said, “I believe Peter Obi’s words are sincere. Unlike the usual crop of politicians in Nigeria, he is honest. The constitution guarantees only a 4-year term, which can be renewed by the people.

“Obi has not said anything out of the ordinary; he believes he can accomplish a great deal in those four years.”

Politics

2027: Four Years Enough To Make Impact – Peter Obi Insists

Published

1 day ago

August 5, 2025

Editor

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has reiterated his commitment to serving only one term if elected president.

Obi stated that four years is sufficient to turn Nigeria around if leadership is driven by genuine service and not personal ambition.

The former Anambra State governor made the statement via his official X handle on Tuesday.

Obi said he finds it baffling that his one-term pledge is generating widespread debate, stressing that a sincere leader can achieve significant progress within a single four-year term.

He added that his motivation is rooted in a desire to see Nigeria work, not personal ambition.

The former Anambra State governor also challenged anyone to investigate his past political campaigns, maintaining that he has never been involved in electoral malpractice, thuggery, or ballot box snatching.

He said: “I still find it baffling that my decision to do a term of four years, if given the mandate to rule this country, is generating so much agitation. By this feeling, we are doubting the fact that a sincere leader can achieve much in 48 months.

“I have never been desperate in the pursuit of power, or anything else, for that matter. There are some traits associated with desperation, which in no way are in any of my political behaviours in the past and now, like engaging in overly aggressive rhetoric or actions to prove a point or gain attention; becoming overly defensive or reactive to criticism, often to the point of appearing paranoid.

“Making unrealistic or unfulfillable promises to win support or approval, resorting to personal attacks or character assassination to discredit opponents, or frequently changing positions or policies to suit immediate political needs.

“Throughout my political journey, I have never been involved in thuggery, the snatching of ballot boxes, or any form of electoral malpractice. I challenge anyone: conduct your investigations. You will find no stains of rigging or violence associated with my name. I have always chosen the path of peace, principle, and civility.

“In four years, we can confront corruption head-on, redirecting resources to priority areas. For instance, the trillions used to acquire new presidential jets and other unnecessary expenses at this time could have been channelled into education, healthcare, or infrastructure.

“Within the same period, we ensure that the rule is sacrosanct and the rule of law is strictly followed. Within the same period, we can conduct free, fair, and credible elections.”