Senate Presidency: Senators-elect write APC on Lawan/Akume ticket

Senators-elect, under the aegis of Unity Forum, have presented a five-point resolution to All Progressives Congress, APC, declaring their support for the Lawan/Akume Senate Presidency ticket just as the party assured them that the extant Standing Order of the chamber will be adhered to in its final decision.

The resolution, which was presented to the National Chairman of the party in Abuja in the presence of some national leaders, was signed by 35 senators-elect out of the 40 members of the forum.

The group, in the letter signed by Senators Barnabas Gemade, Abu Ibrahim, Olusola Adeyeye, Abdullahi Adamu and Bukar Abba Ibrahim, with the signatures of their members attached, premised their resolution on five grounds.

They declared that “Senator Ahmed Lawan shall be the highest ranking APC Senator and George Akume the second highest ranking APC Senator in the 8th Assembly.

Senator Bokola Saraki and Ahmad Lawan

“This is so, as Ahmad Lawan has spent 16 years in the National Assembly, while Akume has so far spent eight years in the Senate.

“The next behind the duo in terms of ranking, who is also in the contest for the Senate Presidency, is Senator Abubakar Saraki, who has spent only four years in the Senate.”

The Forum argued that “since the North-West zone, which gave APC the highest votes in the last elections, is represented by the President in this government and the South-West, which gave APC the second highest votes in the same election, is represented by the Vice-President in this same government, then the North-East zone, which gave APC the third highest vote, should for the sake of equity be allowed to produce the Senate President and the North Central Zone, which gave APC the fourth highest vote in that general election, should be allowed to produce the Deputy Senate President.”

Still on the election, the group contended that “there were three identified voting blocs that ensured the victory of APC in the elections: the Hausa-Fulani bloc, the Yoruba bloc and the Northern minorities bloc.

“Thus, the Hausa-Fulani bloc is represented by the President in this government, the Yoruba bloc by the Vice President.

“It has, therefore, become appropriate and equitable that the Northern minorities’ bloc be given the positions of the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President, to be occupied by Senators Ahmad Lawan and George Akume, respectively, who are of Northern minorities.”

“Thus, Senator Ahmad Lawan is the most qualified to be the Senate President, while Senator George Akume is the most qualified to be the Deputy Senate President of the 8th Assembly in accordance with Rule 3 Order (2) of the Extant Senate Standing Orders which states as follows:

“Nomination of Senators to serve as Presiding Officers and appointments of Principal Officers and other Officers of the Senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of Senators.

“In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: Senators retiring based on number of times re-elected, Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives, and Senators elected as Senators for the first time.