How David Mark could reemerge as Nigeria's Senate President

How  David Mark could reemerge as Nigeria's Senate President

The Saraki group in the All Progressives Congress, APC, plans alliance with PDP in the process of electing the Senate President this week, elombah.com has learnt.

The ruling party on saturday declared Senators Ahmed Lawan from Yobe and George Akume from Benue State to run as the party’s consensus candidates for the office of Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively in Tuesday’s election at the National Assembly.

However, the Senators of like minds in statement issued jointly signed by Senator-elect Dino Melaye and Sani Yerima  boosted of 65 senators across party vowing to participate only in the constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday, the 9th of June 2015 in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

With the current situation, it seems it is now down to the PDP legislators-elect who have vowed to vote as a block to determine the senate president, as the APC candidates look set to meet head-to-head at the floor of both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday, and former Senate President looks set to be returned as the leader of the National Assembly even with belonging to the opposition minority party.

As it is, Peoples Democratic Party National Assembly members-elect, who have seemed to remain distanced, yet united, in the wrangling over the leadership of the National Assembly, now holds the key to determining the leaders of the two chambers. 

Information available to elombah.com indicates that the inability of the APC senators-elect to agree on the system of voting had initially forced the national chairman to call off the meeting and summon another round of meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. The camps of Saraki and Lawan were expected to send five senators-elect each to the meeting with the APC national leadership.

After several hours of intense political horse-trading and lobbying, the leadership of APC finally came out to endorse Lawan as its candidate for the position of senate president. It followed a voting process where Buni declared Lawan winner with the votes of 32 APC senators who participated, while one vote was voided. He also announced Senator George Akume as the party’s choice for the post of deputy senate president, saying he secured 32 votes.

But the Saraki group continues to lay claim to 34 out of the about 57 APC senators-elect, while Lawan also says he has even more senators-elect supporting him.

The group claimed that APC's election arrangement is Primitive; undemocratic and against universal electoral norms and practice.

In an election held at the International Conference Centre Abuja Saturday night, Mr. Lawan scored 32 votes, while Akume got 31 to emerge as Deputy Senate president. Two votes were declared invalid. The APC has 59 Senators in the 109- member Senate.

Like minds senators statement reads," We the Senators-Elect of Like Minds today 6TH of June 2015, on the invitation of our party, attended an interactive meeting with selected 5 members from each group, the Unity Forum and the Like Minds Group.
Regrettably, the Unity Forum insisted on open ballot voting which we discovered is different from the electoral process used to conduct the earlier election with the House of Representatives members elect. To us, this open ballot voting is primitive; undemocratic and against universal electoral norms and practice.

"In the light of the above, we the Senators elect of Like Minds hereby insist on our position of Open Secret voting process which we believe is in consonance with the provisions of the electoral act, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the universal electoral values.

"As responsible citizens of Federal Republic of Nigeria, and leaders in our own right, we have resolved and hereby state that we shall not be part of a process that promotes undemocratic electoral process that may resort to rancorous and uncivil situations which inhibits the rights of individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice, as this process will further divide us than unite members of our party.

"In conclusion we the Senators-Elect of Like Minds wish to state categorically that we will participate only in the constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday, the 9th of June 2015 in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

With the current situation, it seems it is now down to the PDP legislators-elect to determine the senate president, as the APC candidates look set to meet head-to-head at the floor of both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The PDP has got 49 elected members. If the Saraki group carries out their threat to align with the PDP or decides to spite their party, then David Mark may make history as Senate president again.

Mark who represents Benue Zone C has been leading the Upper Chamber of the national assembly since the last eight years.

-Elombah