10th Assembly: Top APC Member Reveals Formula Party May Use To Pick Senate President

Senator Sani Musa (Niger East) has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) would likely consider its Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket in choosing the Senate President for the 10th National Assembly.

According to him, there is a need for religious balancing and the National Executive Council of the APC is expected to put the same into consideration in deciding the next Senate President and other presiding officers.

Naija News understands he stated this on Tuesday while fielding questions from National Assembly correspondents.

He noted that though officially the APC is yet to take a decision on zoning the Senate Presidency, and the party’s national chairman has told them to exercise patience, he expects that the religious issue will be considered when the time comes.

He said, ‘”This is a real ambush. Why don’t you wait till when I will make my declaration, since you decide to ask me, I will say, no office deserved to be zoned to the North Central than the Office of the Senate President, but as a party loyalist, and having an interaction with the party leadership before the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections at the Presidential Villa, the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu requested that we all keep our intentions until when the party decide to release the zoning formula.

“Be that as it may, and as we can all see that the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which I’m sure will be addressed, we will queue in and decide to make our declaration.”

North Central Deserves Compensation

Speaking further, Senator Musa stated that without prejudice to whatever would be the final decision of the APC, the northcentral region deserves at least the Deputy Senate President position based on the number of votes it gave to the party in the 2023 presidential elections.

“I would not want to pre-empt the party, I will wait for the decision of the party. Whatever is the interest of the North Central as one of the geopolitical zones that gave the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the highest votes. If you look at the difference we gave to APC and the votes we gave to PDP, we have the largest.

“I do know there will be nothing less than the Deputy Senate President because that is what will be fair to us,” he said.

My Ambition Remains Senate Presidency

The Niger senator, however, said his ambition is to run for Senate Presidency.

In his words, “Every human being has ambition. I intend to come in order to save our Constitution and democracy in this country. You are all witnesses to what is going on in this country. Imbalances in this country.

“Our forefathers since independence did it in such a way that the future generations will come together and live as one. So there is no need for me not to vie for this position and when I come in I’m going to strengthen the administration.

“There is a high rate of inflation with two digits, unemployment, insecurity is there, the value of naira has gone so down. You can imagine what is happening with our naira.”

I’m Ready To Sacrifice

Musa added however that he is ready to sacrifice his personal ambition if for the sake of religion balancing, the APC does not zone the senate presidency to the north-central.

He said, “We are supposed to be the most advanced economy in Nigeria, but alas! , we are where we are today for reasons best known to us all.

“The institution that will serve as an antidote to strong policies that will unite this country for prosperity is the National Assembly and it needs presiding servants, those that will feel the feelings of Nigerians from the streets.

“But as earlier said if for the sake of religion balancing and unity of the country Senate Presidency is not zoned to North Central, Deputy President of the Senate should be given.”