KNOCKS FOR OSHIOMHOLE AS BATTLE FOR SENATE LEADERSHIP HOTS UP

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As the battle for the leadership of the Senate intensifies ahead of the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly in June, the camps of the senators-elect seeking to take over the leadership of the Red Chamber have shifted their attention to opposition members.

Most of the camps are banking on the fact that if they can get block votes from the PDP, it would be much easier to win the in-house contest.

Already, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has settled for one of the aspirants and current Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe) as its choice for the Senate top job.

However, Senator Ali Ndume (APC,Borno), also a former Senate leader, has vowed to go against his party and contest the position.

Another senator said to be eyeing the position is Danjuma Goje, who is said to be working from behind the scenes to achieve his ambition.

It was gathered that Team Lawan, Team Ndume and Team Goje are actively wooing senators-elect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and some state governors are now being contacted to lobby their home senators to support specific candidates.

While the governing APC has majority in the 9th Assembly with 65 senators-elect, the PDP has about 41 in its fold, while Young Peoples Party has only Ifeanyi Uba for the moment, as the first-time senator-elect who is perceived to be flirting with the party in power.

Of the 65 APC senators-elect, the South West have 14, South East, 2, North-West, 20, South-South, 3, North-East, 14 and North-Central,12.

APC has zoned the office of the Senate President to the North East while the office of the deputy Senate president was also zoned to the South-South with Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central), fully in the race.

While the alignments and realignments are taking shape, a strategist for the APC in the 2019 general elections, who is also knowledgeable about National Assembly politics, has faulted the party chairman, Adams Oshiohmole, for exposing the party’s game plan much earlier.

The strategist, who prefers to remain anonymous, said there are different camps now realigning which could be detrimental to the party’s wish to take control of the leadership of the party.

A chieftain of the APC and former minister of sport, Bala Ka’oje, said he had advised the party to zone the principal offices as early as possible but the party leadership ignored the advice.

He remarked that the party’s problems are due to lack of consultation.

Weighing in on the Senate leadership race, the pioneer APC national vice chairman in charge of North East, Dr Umar Duhu, said that both Ndume and Lawan are from the same bloc of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and that both are qualified to occupy the seat of the chairman of the National Assembly.

Duhu, who expressed displeasure at the way the party leadership is treating some of its members, said there was no way the party could control its members when it did not play a major part in ensuring their election.

Speaking on the contestants suitability for the job, he said: “Both Senators Ahmed Lawan and Ali Ndume are of the same Constituency, the defunct ANPP, while Sen Danjuma Goje is from a different bloc. In terms of qualifications, all of them are qualified to take the 9th Senate to the next level.”

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