Bickering within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over who becomes president of the Ninth Senate came to the fore yesterday with former Senate Majority Leader Muhammed Ali Ndume criticising the endorsement of Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan by President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s leadership.
Ndume described the validation as unconstitutional and undemocratic, saying the decision was taken without consultation with APC senators-elect.
The APC spoke through National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole on its choice in Abuja on Monday. It told its 65 senators-elect during a dinner at the Presidential Villa that Lawan (Yobe North) had its nod for Senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
But faulting the party’s position at a media briefing in Abuja, Ndume said the endorsements were contrary to the provisions of Section 50(1A) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The section states: “There shall be a president and deputy president of the Senate who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.”
According to Ndume, neither Oshiomhole nor Buhari or any party leader has the right to force presiding officers on lawmakers.
He said: “What took place at the presidential dinner in Aso Rock on Monday night where Oshiomhole as party chairman, announced Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as President of the 9th Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively was very shocking to me and many of my colleagues.
“Oshiomhole, in making the announcement or endorsement, did not even allow me or Senators Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) and Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), widely known to be in the race for the position, to say anything.
“More disturbing was the fact that even Senator Ahmed Lawan, endorsed for the position, was not allowed to make any comment in the form of an acceptance speech or to solicit support from other interested senators.”
He said: “For the sake of cohesion and stability among party members as regards aspirations for such positions, what was expected from the party leadership, was to just zone the positions and allow contenders within each of the zones to sort things out either through consensus or shadow election.”
Source: Guardian Newspaper
