Senate presidency: Intrigue is the name of the game

Ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly members for the next legislative session, JOSIAH OLUWOLE writes that the selection of a new senate president is attracting a lot of interest That the general elections are over is not in contest. That more than 75 per cent of the elected officials have, so far, received their certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission preparatory to their inauguration by the end of the month is equally not in contest. What is debatable in the polity today is the zoning of the key national political offices. The offices of the Senate President, House of Representatives Speaker, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and even the debate over who occupies the Peoples Democratic Party Chair are among some of the issues attracting attention and comments from among the citizenry.

In the nation’s Upper House — the Senate — for example, the debate over who becomes the Senate President and which geo-political zone should produce the numero uno occupant has elicited a lot of concern. It is, therefore, not surprising that intrigue has become the name of the game in the hallowed chambers. Indeed, the battle to elect its principal officers is toughening by the day, throwing up the issue of returning senators and first-timers as well as the incumbents and the opportunists. The power game has also attracted a medley of forces both from within and outside the Senate, resulting in sudden re-alignment, affiliations and associations.

For now, the equation is relying heavily on the PDP’s zoning formula to achieve a clear direction and balance, and the reason for this is obvious, the party commands the majority of members in the red chambers. Also, there is the calculation that the party has acquiesced in the zoning of the leadership of the Senate to the North-Central, with a view to maintaining the status quo and continuity. So far, the sharing formula has put pressure on the North-East and South-East legislators as they are now demanding ‘change’ and fairness given their performance in delivering their zones to the PDP during the just concluded polls.

However, as the controversy rages, commentators and analysts posit that the incumbent Senate President, David Mark, cannot be divorced from the dispute. In fact, it is said that Mark, who is returning to the senate for the fourth time visited President Goodluck Jonathan the other day at the Obudu Cattle Ranch to consolidate on his plan to retain the number three position in the country.

In fact, a political scientist, who craved anonymity said Mark’s ambition to retain his seat as Chairman of the National Assembly, led him to the ranch where the PDP leaders met to decide on how to divide the “spoils of war” arising from the 2011 election victory.

Meanwhile, given the PDP internal arrangement that the North-Central would produce the Senate Presidency, some other stakeholders are saying there is no effective legislation that forbids candidates from other geo-political zones from seeking the senate number one position. In their thinking, senators should be free at the plenary to vote for the candidate of their choice and whoever polled the highest number of votes becomes the President of the Senate.

However, this has not been the case. Since the country’s return to democracy in1999, the executive has played a key role in producing and removing the Senate President. Between 1999 and 2003, the Senate had three presidents, just as it had two presidents between 2004 and 2007. Interestingly, in all this, the executive is believed to have contributed in one way or another in the appointment of the senate’s helmsman.

Proffering reasons why the senate should remain independent, a school of thought argued that the death knell that hit former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term bid in 2007 was because the then senate under the superintendence of Ken Nnamani was independent. Nnamani replaced Adolphus Wabara, who was seen as an executive stooge.

Meanwhile, as the call for independent senate rages, one thing going for Mark is that the stability the Senate now enjoys has been linked to the fact that his colleagues largely chose him as their leader. He is also seen to be instrumental in the stabilisation of the polity via the doctrine of necessity when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was critically ill. Similarly, he is seen as a strong supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan and a loyal party man.

Besides, the move to tamper with the Senate’s Standing Orders is seen as a veritable opportunity to preclude likely competitors from running against Mark. The Senate in pursuant to this objective has listed for amendment its Standing Orders 2007 to set new order of rankings for its members and to restrict the aspiration of new members for positions of principal officers. The date of the business as contained in the Senate’s Notice Paper is Tuesday, May 17, 2011. The new adjustment to the Senate Orders will annul the rumoured ambitions of the Governors Danjuma Goje and Abubakar Saraki to become the President of the Senate in the next dispensation.

The motion to be moved by the Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, seeks the provision of a new Rule 3(2a), which reads: “Nomination of Senators to serve as Presiding Officers and appointments of Principal Officers and other Officers of the Senate or on any Parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators.”

Rule 2b states that: “In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: (i) Senators returning based on number of times re-elected; (ii) Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives; (iii) Senators who have been members of a State House of Assembly or any other legislative house; (iv) Senators elected as Senators for the first time.”

The old Rule 97(1f) which states that “Nomination of Senators to serve as Principal Officers and Chairmen of Committees or on any Parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of Senators in which members(s) previously elected into the Senate are granted Precedence,” would be deleted.

The amendment would forestall the aspirations of new senators and give Mark an easy ride for a re-election. Even though the perception is that the current Senate is on a trip to muzzle new senators, its Spokesman, Ayogu Eze, has debunked the claim, saying the Upper Chamber is only attempting to clarify the provisions as the rule on ranking already existed in the extant Standing Orders.

But in the face of Mark’s credentials, there is the smear of the unwarranted jumbo pay he is trying unsuccessfully to wipe out. Many Nigerians posit that the outrageous allowance given to legislators is a black spot in the history of the legislature. Members have tried to explain and clarify the set of allowances amounting to about N60 million every quarter, but it would not stick as Nigerians can’t understand how a senator or a member of the House of Representatives would be going home with such millions on a quarterly basis when the land is ravaged by poverty and unemployment.

Beyond Saraki and Goje, a few other senators are waiting in the fringes, in case there is a slip from the gladiators. Among returning senators who are qualified to run against Mark in the North-Central are Senators Smart Adeyemi, Aweisu Dahiru Kuta, Suleman Adokwe, Simon Ajibola and Zainab Kure. Philip Aduda, senator-elect for the Federal Capital Territory is coming from the House of Representatives and if the new Senate Order 3 is inserted by this week, he would be considered a ranking member of the Senate as he is coming from the House of Representatives as a three-time member.

Saraki on his part is holding his Senate seat with a shaky calm, following the challenge of his PDP ticket for Kwara Central. But whatever happens, it is hoped that the spirit of democracy will prevail in the hallowed chambers when it convenes to elect its new leadership soon.