Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, lawmakers-elect have begun the race for the Senate president’s seat.
The 10th Assembly will be inaugurated in June 2023 after the swearing-in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29.
In the red Chamber, the 10th Assembly will be populated by lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Others are the Social Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance and Young Peoples Progressive Party.
While the APC clinched 57 seats, the PDP claimed 29, the Labour Party coasted home with 6 seats. Others are NNPP and SDP with 2 members each while APGA and YPPP have one member each.
Apart from the Senate presidency, positions such as the deputy Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives are up for grabs.
Others are leaders of the majority and minority caucuses. They include the majority leader, deputy majority leader, majority or chief whip, deputy whip, minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip.
But the race for the next senate president has begun in earnest even before the inauguration of members of the 10th National Assembly.
It is speculated that the choice of the next senate president would largely depend on the zoning of the office by the ruling APC.
Meanwhile, APC chieftains in the South-South and South-East had called for the zoning of the senate presidency to their regions in the spirit of fairness and to give other geo-political regions a sense of belonging in view of the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket adopted by the party.
The PUNCH reports that the Senate spokesperson, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said the ruling APC was likely to release the zoning formula for the 10th Assembly leadership after the Ramadan fast.
Senator Basiru made this known on Wednesday morning when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
“I believe that our party will ultimately take a decision on the zoning possibly after Ramadan and certainly before June when the next Assembly will be convoked,” Bashiru said.
Below are lawmakers who have declared their ambitions to lead the 10th National Assembly.
1. Senator Jibrin Barau (Kano Central).
2. Sani Musa (Niger East).
3. Orji Kalu (Abia North).
4. GodsWill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom North-West).
5. Senators Osita Izunaso (Imo West).
6. Peter Ndubueze (Imo North).
7. Abdul’Aziz Yari (Zamfara West).
*8. Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North).
9. Ali Ndume (Borno South).
*Text, except headline, courtesy: THE PUNCH
