10th NASS Leadership: Northern Aspirants Give Up

There are indications that aspirants contesting for the position of Senate President from North-West, North-East and North-Central might have shelved their ambitions.

Following their plan to withdraw from the race, the battle for the office of the Senate President has now shifted to South-East and South-South.

The main challengers from the region are Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio.

A lawmaker who spoke with Saturday Sun on the development said aspirants from the North are battling to become the Deputy President of the Senate.

The senator said leaders from the North and stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) prevailed on the aspirants to allow a Christian from the South to clinch the office of the Senate President to create a religious balance.

According to the source, the North West is likely to get the Speakership, North Central appears set to produce the next Deputy President of the Senate.

The lawmaker added that negotiations are ongoing by key aspirants from the North to lobby for the chairmanship of influential committees and other sensitive positions.

The source said, “In principle, Northern aspirants for the position of the President of the Senate, have jettisoned their ambitions. They’ve agreed with the argument that Christians from the South should be elected. North West and North Central will have to battle to produce the Deputy President of the Senate.

“I suspect that the North Central may get it, with the hope that North West will get the Speakership. North East has been settled already with the emergence of Kashim Shettima as Vice President-elect.

“We know that South West, too, isn’t in the contest. The battle is between the South East and South-South. That’s now left for the party leadership to decide. But the North is out and I can reliably inform you about this development.

“If you’ve noticed, the zeal has reduced. The earlier threat to gang up against the South is gone. There are things people should worry about, and that’s the plan to impose newcomers as Presiding Officers on the upper legislative chamber.”