Two ex-govs eye Senate Leader’s seat

A former Governor of Kano State, Senator Kabiru Gaya, and his colleague from Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima, have started lobbying their colleagues in the upper chamber for support in their individual bid to emerge as the next Senate Majority Leader.
Already, other ranking senators from the All Progressives Congress-controlled states had also started serious lobbying within and outside the Senate seeking to occupy principal officers’ seats, ahead of the zoning arrangement being put in place by the party hierarchy.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that ranking APC senators from the North-West had decided to settle for the Senate Majority seat since their kinsman, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had already emerged the President-elect.

A ranking member of the red chamber from the zone, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent during the week that they had already met and decided to put forward their best for the seat of the Senate leader.

It will be recalled that the APC won 60 out of the 109 seats in the Senate, based on the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission after the parliamentary election held on March 28.

Ranking senators from the North Central geo-political zone, including Bukola Saraki ( Kwara Central ); and Senator George Akume (Benue North-West); are already warming up to contest for Senate President.

Also, their colleagues from the North-East, including Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North) and Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) had also indicated their interests to contest the number one seat in the Senate.

Another senator from the North-West also told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity that since the zone produced the highest number of senators, his colleagues had decided to settle for the Senate leader position in the 8th Senate.

He said, “The North-West geo-political zone produced 20 senators in the March 28 senatorial election. Out of the 20 senators, eight are ranking members as some of them have been elected to the chamber at least twice while others are coming from the House of Representatives, where they are also considered ranking members of the chamber.”

Further findings showed that ranking members from the zone were now divided over which state in the zone should produce the Senate Leader.

Most senators from the zone are freshers while only six among them are ranking members.

Five states of the North-West – Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara – returned only six ranking senators.

They are: former Governor Kabiru Gaya (Kano South); former FCT Minister, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central); Abu Ibrahim (Katsina South); Ahmad Sani Yerima (Zamfara West); Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central); and Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East).

The senator further explained that senators-elect Bala Ibn Na’Allah, and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano State Governor) also have the ranking advantage, having been elected into the House of Representatives at different times.

But he argued that the ranking rule, which gives preference to senators who have been elected more than once into the chamber, means that top contenders for the Senate leader position are Senators Sani-Yerima, Marafa, Gaya and Adamu Aliero.

However, he said, “In addition to the ranking rule, having been elected into the Senate three times in a row, Senators Sani-Yerima, who is also a former two-term Zamfara State governor, has the most legislative experience from the zone.”