Senate In Focus: As North-Central Senators-elect Still Stand By Sani Musa

The inauguration of the 10th Assembly will be very interesting because Senators-elect are still not in agreement with the All Progressives Congress (APC) choices.

The party had announced Godswill Akpabio and Sen Barau Jibrin as the preferred candidates for the office of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President.

Even though some senators have taken side with the party, the Senators from the North Central are particularly interested on the office of the deputy Senate President.

The want the Niger East Senator Sani Musa to be the next Deputy Senate President.

Sani Musa seems to be unlucky to the APC. He was asked to step down for Abdullahi Adamu for the position of the Deputy Senate President.

Now that his people want him as a presiding officer at the 10th Senate, some people are still working against him.

Will he cross the hurdle? The Senator-elect who would represent the Nasarawa West Senatorial District in the 10th Senate, Aliyu Wadada,  has said that his colleagues from the North Central geo-political zone are still determined to ensure the emergence of Sani Musa as Deputy Senate President.

He said during the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly next month, the North Central Senators-elect will lobby for Sani Musa to emerge.

Even though some pundits are asking questions on why the North West should have the office of the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President, Wadada, who was elected on the ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said the fact that he and some of his colleagues have been following the anointed candidate of the APC, Godswill Akpabio, does not mean that the North Central has abandoned Musa.

He said since the North Central Caucus of the incoming 10th Senate had resolved to support and ensure the emergence of Musa as Deputy Senate President, there was nothing wrong in supporting the choice of the APC for the position of the Senate President.

“North Central will not, and cannot be left out with a representative like us. We will always strive to get what belongs to us or what we deserve.

“We already had a press briefing where we clearly stated our position. After the press briefing, when the zoning arrangements had been announced, we also took a stand and our governors supported us.

“The governors met with the aspirants from the North Central met and efforts are really on to ensure that North Central gets what it deserves.

“As senators elect from the North Central geopolitical zone, our position has not changed. We stand for the Deputy Senate President.

“If the North Central Caucus stands for the Deputy Senate Presidency, by implication that means that the caucus of the North Central wants the  Presidency of the Senate to go to the Southern part of Nigeria.

“My being around Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin does not change my position as a senator from the North Central part of Nigeria.

“Akpabio is from the South South, Barau is from the North West, while Wadada is from the North Central. So there is no confusion at all.

“My being around Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin does not mean that the North Central Caucus had conceded to the APC joint ticket.

“The North Central geopolitical zone that has been a stabilising factor in Nigeria’s politics, would not want to rock the boat.”

He said the fact that the North Central Caucus recently said it won’t mind having the position of Speaker zoned to its geopolitical zone does not mean the senators-elect had abandoned Musa.

He said, “What we have said lately is that, if for any reason, the position of the Deputy Senate President that we have always canvassed for would not be conceded to us as North Central, then, we should be given the Speakership position.

“This is because North Central cannot go empty handed. It is not fair, It is not just, it is not rational. There is nothing right about it.

“A situation where a single geopolitical zone to have two presiding officers positions when the North Central remains empty, is not fair,” he added.

Nigerians are waiting to see the drama that will happen at the red chamber in June.