North-East intensifies bid for Senate Presidency

Politicians and other stakeholders from the North-East zone of the country have launched an intensive campaign and lobby for the office of Senate President in the new political arrangement. Will PDP’s zoning arrangement favour the North-East zone for this plum job?

Since the return of the country to democratic governance, the National Assembly has been playing a critical role in the process of carrying the people along in the affairs of state. As direct representatives of the people, the legislature plays an important role of interface between the masses and government. A grip on the leadership of the lawmaking body by any section of the country is, therefore, seen as something that could translate into bountiful democracy dividends to its people. This explains why since 1999, key leadership offices, including the principal officers, have been subjected to zoning arrangement in order to avoid a lopsided arrangement in the leadership of the country.

However, for the past 12 years now, only two geo-political zones out of the existing six are yet to produce a presiding officer in the two chambers of the National Assembly. The North-East zone and the South-South zone have neither produced a Senate President nor Speaker of the House of Representatives. From 1999 to 2007, the position of Senate President was zoned to the South-East while the Speaker was held by North-West. After the 2007 elections, the zoning was altered as the Presidency was clinched by the North-West; the office of Senate President was zoned to North-Central while that of the Speaker went to the South-West. That arrangement shows that four out of the six zones have now tasted the leadership of at least one of the two chambers of the bi-cameral legislature.

With the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan (from the South-South), the North-East now remains the only zone that is yet to head either the legislature or the executive arm of government. It is based on this that several stakeholders from the zone now argue strongly that they should be given a chance to chair the next National Assembly.

The agitation of North-East political elite to produce the next Senate President is also premised on the need to have a political leader who will champion the drive to attract the much needed democracy dividends to the area.

The North East has continually been rated as the most backward in the country and this has been attributed to lack of an influential political leader occupying a key federal position that can galvanise the efforts of all to the good of the people. During the PDP primary elections, the zone even ditched one of its own-Atiku Abubakar- in support of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Therefore, some of the top politicians from the zone, especially those of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that have won majority of seats in the Senate have commenced bid to clinch the Senate presidency when the new National Assembly is proclaimed on June 3, 2011. Unfolding permutations give reasons to believe that the North-East will certainly take a shot at the Senate Presidency this time.

Top and experienced politicians from the zone have intensified lobby among incoming and serving senators for support. Foremost among those eyeing the Senate Presidency are Senator-elect, former minority leader of the House of Representatives Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno state), former Majority leader of the House Abdul Ningi and Governor Danjuma Goje. The trio have good legislative experience. While Ndume and Ningi have been in the House of Reps in this dispensation, Governor Goje, with tremendous administrative capability was also in the old Bauchi State legislature in the second republic.

There is no doubt that Ndume made an appreciable impact while occupying the post of Minority Leader. Under him, the minority side in the House always had a strong influence in the final outcome of legislative proceedings and other critical leadership issues in the Green Chamber.

Ndume, presently a member of the lower chamber, crossed to the PDP from the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) shortly before the polls and won a clean sweep against the wish of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. Ndume is believed to have requisite experience and academic qualification to be the next Senate President.

It was gathered that some of the lawmakers that crossed from the House to the Senate are clamouring for one of their own to emerge as President of Senate. Many are said to favour the candidature of former House Majority Leader Abdul Ningi from Bauchi State. One of the attributes of Ningi as one of the leaders of the House is his ability to stabilise the volatile Green Chamber. With Ningi as House leader, the House of Representatives enjoyed four years (2003 – 2007) of stable leadership with minimal rancour. As the leader of the House, critical issues such as the third term agenda came to pass. Those angling for Ningi believe that if given the opportunity, he can perfectly handle the functions of Senate President while also assuming the leadership role now needed by the PDP in the North-East.

For Danjuma Goje, the outgoing governor of Gombe state, even his enemies admit the fact that he performed above average during his eight-year tenure as governor. Goje has transformed Gombe from being a rural state to one which can boast of one of the best state capitals. As an experienced politician that has been around for some time, Goje understands the rule of the game. As an outgoing governor, he is said to have taken his campaign for the Senate Presidency to his colleagues (state governors) across the country. And talking about legislative experience, he is no novice since he was in the Bauchi State House of Assembly in the second republic.

There is no doubting the influence of governors in the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly. Many of the lawmakers are answerable only to their state governors. Danjuma Goje is also said to be spearheading moves by PDP leaders in the North-East to get the national leadership of the party to allot the office of Senate President to the zone. It is almost certain that Goje will contest for the office on inauguration day.

In fact the North-East zone is leaving nothing to chance in its bid to take a shot at the Senate Presidency. A gender dimension was introduced when Senator-elect, Hajiya Aisha Jummai Alhassan, from Taraba State joined the fray. After defeating former Taraba governor, Reverend Jolly Nyame at the polls, Jummai is angling to make history as the first female Senate President in the country. Her candidacy is seen as a move to balance the gender inequality in the sharing of key political offices as well as to settle the need for a Senate President from the North-East zone. Jummai is said to enjoy the blessing of Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai who is also said to be part of the agitation for zoning of the Senate Presidency to the North East.

With a wealth of experience in the legal profession, the former Chief Registrar of the FCT High Court is charting the course for women legislators to make an impact. There is also the clamour for 35 percent allocation of political offices to women which had been consistently echoed by President Jonathan. Based on this and the fact that women fared poorly in the last elections, many analysts are of the opinion that the emergence of a woman as Senate President could serve as a booster to their participation in future elections.  Records show that women have suffered downward trend in the number of representation in the senate. Nine women won election to the Red Chamber in 2007. By 2010 the number was reduced to 10. After the last elections, only 7 women have won election to the Senate. The North produced 3, South West 1, South-East 2 and South-South 1.

By and large, the greatest challenge now facing the North-East is to first get the PDP zoning arrangement in its favour and then to convince serving senators to dump their support for another term for the incumbent Senate President David Mark.

.