10th NASS: Doguwa’s Victory Rattles Aspirants’ Camp

The victory of the majority leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Garba (Doguwa) at last Saturday’s National Assembly re-run election for Tundun-Wada/Doguwa Federal Constituency of Kano State has caused panic in camps of some aspirants for the position of Senate President and Speaker in the 10th National Assembly, LEADERSHIP has learnt.

Doguwa, who was declared winner of the February 25, National Assembly election in the constituency had his victory withdrawn by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because the result was declared in duress.

INEC afterwards declared the election inconclusive due to violence recorded during the election in Tudun-Wada area of the constituency.

Eventually, returning Officer of the rerun election, Prof. Sani Ibrahim declared Doguwa winner after polling 41,573 votes to defeat his closest rival and NNPP candidate Yushau Salihu Abdullahi who scored 34,831 votes in the election.

LEADERSHIP gathered that Doguwa who may be the choice of the APC for the position of speaker would put to an end the ambition of some ranking lawmakers who have begun subtle campaigns for speaker of the House.

According to a LEADERSHIP source, there had been an unwritten agreement between president-elect Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje to produce Doguwa as speaker of the 10th National Assembly.

Should this agreement be followed to the latter, other ranking lawmakers from the North West geopolitical zone may have their ambition sacrificed.

Those who may be affected by this plan include the chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation Jibrin Barau and former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari who are both gunning for president of the Senate.

In the House of Representatives, the likes of Hon Soli Sada (Katsina State) Hon Tajudeen Abbas (Kaduna State) Aminu Sani Jaji (Zamfara State) may have their ambition reconsidered.

A source close to the party hierarchy informed LEADERSHIP last night that Tinubu might have settled for Senator Orji Uzor Kalu from the South East and Doguwa (North West) as the Senate President and the Speaker of the House respectively.

Kalu is the chief whip of the outgoing Senate while Doguwa is serving out his term as the leader of the House of Representatives.

The choice of Kalu and Doguwa, according to Leadership source, has received endorsement by some APC leaders.

The APC sources who pleaded not to be mentioned to avoid being sanctioned also said that the list was still being kept under wraps by the Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC.

LEADERSHIP further gathered that Senator Sani Musa from the North Central geo-political has been penciled down for deputy senate president while Senator Ali Ndume from the North East as the Senate Leader.

Adams Oshiomhole was penciled down as deputy Senate Leader, Aliyu Wamako as Chief Whip, and Solomon Olamilekan as deputy chief whip.

Heeding the call from various quarters especially the National Vice Chairman of the APC (North-West), Mallam Salihu Lukman that northern senators contesting the post should step down to balance the Muslim-Muslim ticket approach of the Party, the sources feared that the emergence of a Muslim Senate President will not augur well for the party.

“The decision has been taken even before Tinubu traveled for Hajj, the party was just waiting for the supplementary election to be concluded. APC will support Doguwa to be speaker, that was the agreement, the position of deputy speaker was zoned to the South-south but a name has not been attached to it,” the source said.