- Demand Government of National Unity
- Ask Obi to Explore All Legal Options to Prove he Won Poll
- Urge Senate to Set Aside Ranking Rule
The Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and its Elders Council comprising leaders from seven states as well as the organisation’s 22 affiliate bodies have declared support for the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even as they have resolved to back the aspiration of the Ebonyi State governor and senator-elect, Dave Umahi, for the position of the Senate President.
The battle for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly has since started in earnest, coming just a week after the members-elect collected their Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
Towards this end, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday met with the newly-elected Senators and House of Representatives members – of the party at the Presidential Villa obviously to avoid a repeat of the crisis that trailed the election of National Assembly officers in 2015, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory.
Although no communiqué was issued at the end of the meeting, which had the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu in attendance alongside the National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore and Vice President–elect, Kashim Shettima, who represented the President – elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, there were indications that the party hierarchy wanted to tread softly on the issue of picking a preferred candidate in order to avoid any pre-inauguration crisis at the National Assembly.
President-elect Tinubu said at the meeting that he had no preferred candidate for the office of Senate President, but feelers from the meeting indicate that four of the six geo-political zones are ready to struggle for the position. The four zones are the South-East, the South-South, North-Central and North-West.
It was also gathered that many senators from the four zones have intensified lobbying for the position.
POSITIONS OF THE FOUR ZONES
THEWILL checks show that one of the key factors flaunted by the competing senators is individual electoral contribution to Tinubu’s emergence as president-elect. According to dependable party sources, by the same token, the South-West and North-East, both of which produced the President and the Vice President, respectively, are not being considered for the position.
HOW THE CONTENDING ZONES STAND ELECTORALLY
Except for Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto States in the North-West zone, which Tinubu lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Atiku Abubakar by a slim margin, but got 29 per cent and 40 per cent, 44 per cent, 49 percent respectively and Kano State, which he lost to Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), but got 30 percent of votes, Tinubu triumphed in the two other states in the North-West zone, namely Jigawa and Zamfara.
The North-Central zone where Tinubu won clearly in only four of the six states of Benue, Kwara, Kogi and Niger but was defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, in Nasarawa and Plateau States and Atiku in Taraba State is making a similar case. In all of these three states, however, Tinubu got 28 per cent in Plateau, 32 per cent in Nasarawa and 26 per cent in Taraba.
The South-South states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers shared their results among the three parties, the PDP, APC and LP. Obi won in Cross River, Delta and Edo States, while Atiku picked Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States and Tinubu in Rivers, though the latter got 26 per cent in Edo and Bayelsa and 29 per cent in Akwa Ibom.
By this yardstick, the South-East performed poorly. The five states there, namely Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, which are controlled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), PDP and APC, voted massively for Obi of the LP. None of the major contenders got up to 18 per cent. Obi got 88 per cent in Abia, 95 per cent in Anambra, 94 per cent in Enugu and 80 per cent in Ebonyi and 77 per cent in Imo.
WHY THE SOUTH-EAST IS BIDDING FOR SENATE PRESIDENCY
Expectedly however, following the tradition of the party, South-East is more favoured to get the senate president’s slot and the Southeast senators- elect are eagerly scheming for the position.
Those in this school of thought believe that with President Muhammadu Buhari from the North-West, the position of senate president was also zoned to the North-East and that arrangement produced Senator Ahmed Lawan as President of the 9th Senate.
They believed therefore that now that the president-elect is from the South-West, the senate president should go to the South-East. It is based on this proposition that the pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, its elder council and 22 affiliate bodies have taken the bull by its horns and joined the fray to move the number three position to the geo-political zone. Without mincing words, they have tipped senator-elect and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi as the man for the plum job.
Speaking exclusively with THEWILL on Tuesday, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isuguzoro, said that apart from Umahi, the other senators-elect of the All-Progressive Congress (APC) from the South-East have cases with the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) and that will project the zone in bad light.
On the possible argument that Umahi is not a ranking senator and a green horn at that, Isuguzoro argued that the Senate should set aside its rule of ranking to allow Umahi to emerge as Senate President.
He added that since the North-East is still occupying the position of senate president and now has vice president-elect, coupled with the fact that two Muslims are president and vice president, the South-East should be allowed to produce the senate president, stressing that a Christian Senate President will suit the position.
Asked about the electoral calculations that may come into play during considerations for the position, Isuguzoro argued that Ohanaeze Ndigbo had already bared its mind to the President-elect.
He said, “First of all, we called the President-elect and congratulated him and told him he should form a government of national unity. That he should not victimise people who never voted for him. He should be the new leader of Nigeria who will carry every sector of the country along.
”He thinks this is an opportunity to integrate the erstwhile two most neglected zones in mainstream politics of the country. The South-East and North-East geo-political zones are yet to produce a Head of State for the country.
“Now, for the first time since the All Progressive Congress, APC, came into existence, we have six senators. It is a great improvement for the South-East. Out of 15 seats, we have six senators. What we are saying is that the South-East is supposed to have a slot.
“To put an end to insecurity and marginalisation in the South-East, it should be allowed to produce the senate president. Not only that, the President-elect must make sure he inculcates and includes the geo-political zone in the mainstream properly.
“By doing so, we now saw an opening that there must be a change of baton in the leadership of the Senate since the president-elect and vice president-elect are both Muslims, the South-West has the presidency and the North-East has the vice president. The North-East is currently holding the senate presidency and now the northeast has also produced the vice president-elect, the ruling party must shift the senate presidency to the South-East.
“And looking at the characters that emerged and based on the people’s choices, the Senate has to change its rules to ensure that a first-timer becomes the president of the Senate.
“Remember that Akpabio from the South-South in 2015 became the Senate minority leader and that is what we are saying that we must produce the Senate president.”
WHY IT MUST BE UMAHI
“Looking at the characters, a man who was said to have brought RUGA to Abia State is not interested in a South-East presidency. Instead, he wants a senate president from the North-East to become the country’s president. Another man, whom he described as a ranking senator from Imo state, has always been an undertaker for a certain governor in the South-East.
“Looking at the politicians and senators-elect from the South-East, the best thing that can happen to the region is to give the position to Governor David Nwaeze Umahi, who is the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum for the past eight years. We have seen that he has the capacity to change the narrative.
“That is why Ohanaeze sat with its Elders Council last Sunday in Enugu and said that Umahi should be the next Senate President.
“We do not have confidence in those who are ranking senators. They will not represent the interest of our people. They will always project us in a bad light. Many of them have cases with the EFCC. They are not worthy to become senators or political leaders. They always do hatchet jobs.
“The Ohanaeze Elders Council comprises leaders from seven states who met in Enugu with the organisation’s 22 affiliate bodies. This is a popular opinion of our people. Since we started canvassing for the senate presidency of Governor Umahi, no Igbo person has countered it.
“Tell those who think that because Peter Obi has a case in the court that we cannot canvas for senate president, that we are not saying that Peter Obi should not go to court. He should explore all legal actions, but for now, we have a president-elect until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise. We have a president-elect and if the court says he is not, we will obey the court. Ohanaeze is law abiding,” he said.
About the Author
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
