S/East likely to get Senate President
as Northeast, North West, and North Central battle for Reps’ speakership
… aspirants already gathering names of members-elect for campaigns
With the results of the national assembly election so far declared, there is no doubt that the ruling All Progressives Congress is still in firm control of the national assembly having won the majority of the seats across the two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Details of the results showed that 423 seats out of the total 469 that made up the 109 in the Senate and the 360 in the House respectively, have been won by 8 different political parties, remaining 46 senatorial and constituencies where supplementary polls are expected to hold next week.
Statistics from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicated that 98 out of 109 seats have been declared in the Senate, won by 7 political parties while in the House of Representatives, 8 parties have won 325 out of 360 seats.
The details further showed that APC secured 57 in the Senate so far; APGA 1; LP 6; NNPP 2; PDP 29; SDP 2 and YPP 1.
Similarly in the House of Representatives, the ADC got 2 seats; APC 162; APGA 4; LP 34; NNPP 18; PDP 102; SDP 2 and YPP 1.
The figures no doubt put the ruling APC in charge of the affairs of the national assembly. This ultimately means that the party will form the leadership of both chambers.
Sunday Vanguard reliably gathered that some aspirants have already started compiling names of the members-elect for strategic meetings and campaigns.
Of more importance was the name of the returnees in the current 9th assembly and the reelected former lawmakers who are already familiar with the politics of the House.
A source who craved anonymity told the paper that barring any last-minute eventuality, APC will release the zoning arrangements for the offices, especially that of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House before the end of this week.
But while this goes, a few questions agitate the mind. How will the party share the political offices among the geopolitical zones? Will they ultimately be thrown up given the fact that the lawmakers are constitutionally at liberty to choose their own principal officers? Will the party also give heed to religious sensitivity?
Having produced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the South West and Senator Kashim Shetima from the North East who are both of the Islamic faith as President-Elect and Vice President-Elect, some analysts feel it naturally and logically follows that the national assembly offices should be shared amongst the remaining geopolitical zones to entrench unity and peace of the country.
For purposes of accentuation, the available offices at the national assembly for presiding officers are the Senate President, the Speaker of the House, the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Speaker. Others are the principal officers.
Information also gathered that two ranking lawmakers are in a contest for the seat of the Senate President and the Speaker.
A source said that while the chief whip of the 9th Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is being considered by the party for Senate President, Hon. Aliyu Betara representing Biu Kwaya federal constituency of Borno, currently serving as the Chairman, of the House Committee on Appropriations is also being positioned for the office of the speaker.
Similarly, the name of the former minority leader of the Senate in the 8th Assembly, Senator Goodwill Akpabio from the south has also dropped for Senate President
(CDA NEWS)
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