• I stand with party’s choice, Shettima affirms

• Beware sabotage, Borno elders warn president

• Coalition tasks Oshiomhole, APC on Onyejeocha, Tinubu

By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) and Ijeoma Thomas-Odia (Lagos)




Barely 55 days to the election of the next Senate President, the cloud of uncertainty over President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice remains dense.
While the president has kept silent on his preferred candidate, the top contenders, Ahmed Lawan and Mohammed Ali Ndume, claimed they both have his coveted backing to occupy the nation’s number three position.

Lawan’s campaign group argues that the position of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is automatically that of the president. But Ndume’s supporters disagree, saying Buhari gave his blessing to their candidate before and after the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.

But Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday openly adopted Lawan, urging APC members to demonstrate loyalty and do the same.He told reporters in Abuja: “I hail from the same state with the distinguished Senator Ali Ndume and I appreciate the fact that politics is local, but politics is also national.

“I fully align the aspiration of my party with the aspiration of President Muhammadu Buhari. By the grace of God, we are going to mobilise all our goodwill to see that we are fully on board. We are for Senator Ahmed Lawan. We are for Femi Gbajabiamila and all other senators and other House of Representatives members endorsed by the party.” He added: “We are for party discipline that allows everyone to aspire to political offices. We believe that we must respect the party. All of us won on platforms. There is no provision for independent candidates. I don’t know whether anyone has won on an independent platform.”

This was as a group of elders from the state expressed fear that some forces were plotting to hijack the leadership of the ninth National Assembly for selfish gains. They also warned that this could be counterproductive to policies of the Buhari presidency.The elders on the platform of Concerned Borno Citizens made the disclosure in a statement by their spokesman, Alhaji Yakubu Umar.They said they decided to publicly mobilise support for Ndume after he confided in them that he discussed with and obtained the support of the president.

The group cautioned Buhari against alleged plots to sabotage his second term administration should the wrong person be elected as Senate President.It urged Buhari to personally scrutinise Ndume and Lawal to determine who is more loyal, experienced and qualified. Nduma is the better, having served as Minority Leader in the House of Representatives and later as Senate Majority Leader, the group said.

It claimed Ndume was removed as Senate Leader because he was perceived as too close to the presidency, and was suspended from plenary for defending Buhari’s policy. It said Saraki replaced Ndume with Lawan, considered a willing partner, and under whom the presidency allegedly began to suffer sabotage.

“It is the responsibility of the Senate Leader to liaise between the Senate and the president. Perhaps this was not taken seriously under Lawan. The Senate Leader is the one who markets executive bills to the Senate and carries out any improvement such bills require to be accepted by the Senate. This is the function Lawan failed to achieve.”

The group, which claimed it has the support of former governors, former ministers and leaders of the APC in Borno State, recalled that the state gave the APC over 90 per cent of votes in the recent elections. Meanwhile, a coalition, More Women, has submitted a letter to APC Chairman Adams Oshiomhole urging party leaders to support Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, who are vying for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Senate President.

According to the group, “taking this step will not only position APC as a gender-friendly party, it will also place Nigeria in the comity of nations committed to gender equality and women’s participation in power and decision making. It will set a precedent for other governments across Africa and increase the gender rating of Nigeria.”The coalition, consisting of over 150 organisations, made this known in a joint statement endorsed by the executive director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and chairperson, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi; executive director, Women Aid Collectives (WACOL), Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, and others.

It said: “Onyejeocha is no doubt a ranking member and has recorded landmark achievements, and worked tirelessly to advance and institutionalise societal development. As a federal lawmaker, her attendance and participation at parliamentary sittings are phenomenal. She has successfully put together and assisted in the passage of several bills into laws of the federation.”

On why Tinubu should clinch the position, the coalition said: “She is very connected to her constituency and holds frequent town hall meetings with the people, a record which distinguishes her from the pool of people in the National Assembly. She is a regular, vocal and distinguished member of the hallowed chamber who hardly misses any sitting and at different times expressed support for the popular views of the people in the Senate.

https://m.guardian.ng/news/buhari-silent-as-lawan-ndume-claim-support/

The PDP is also silent on who will emerge as the SP.

The Saraki formation will be deployed again.

All i know is, the best with majority ideologies will definitely emerge.

NextLevel is unstoppable...

My problem with this whole squalor is that they're not doing this for the good of the common man, but for their own personal interest. That aside, I believe Ali Ndume is still unhappy about Ahmed Lawan taking over him as Senate leader and would want to make his plan to go as senate president fail. But Ahmed Lawan would really be pained if he doesn't get that position after Saraki has denied him his "right". As for Remi and Onyeocha I think its time women get involved with leadership too. Remi Tinubu is an amazing woman if you meet her one on one, and I can also vouche for Ali Ndume. But in the end we just want a legislature that would stand for the people and not always conform to the will of the executive. That's the essence of the legislature, to always checkmate the executive.

Ok

Heheheh

May the best winner emerge

Me I support SDM for senate president...if u know u know be that,, SDM for senate president..buhari must go

Buhari and his usual attitude

ok

nonxo007:
Nigeria

this presidency is sure for ndume

Apc is for the amateurs
Everything is a debate.

He's enjoying all the leadership wahala

Nigeria jagajaga, I feel sorry for the citizens of this nation.. Useless leaders everywhere..

This is the only area i stand with buhari. He isn't among the wholfs in APC,he has been neutral in NASS affairs. his only problem is that he allows the wholf(tinubu) to be monopolizing the party by using his name.

ali ndume IS THE BEST MAN 4 D JOB THEY SHOULD LET HIM IN EVEN 4 THE SAKE OF DESTRIYING BOKO HARAM


BCS HE DID ALOT ONLY THOSE IN BORNO CAN UNDERSTAND

A smoker and also a thug for Senate Presidency is a no no, there be no way a good thinking Nigerian would support Ali Ndume for Senate Presidency

Ahmed Lawal is Calm and a also a very good leader who managed to maintain good relationship with both the rolling party and also the opposition

I too love this man, Ahmed Lawal

nonxo007:
My problem with this whole squalor is that they're not doing this for the good of the common man, but for their own personal interest. That aside, I believe Ali Ndume is still unhappy about Ahmed Lawan taking over him as Senate leader and would want to make his plan to go as senate president fail. But Ahmed Lawan would really be pained if he doesn't get that position after Saraki has denied him his "right". As for Remi and Onyeocha I think its time women get involved with leadership too. Remi Tinubu is an amazing woman if you meet her one on one, and I can also vouche for Ali Ndume. But in the end we just want a legislature that would stand for the people and not always conform to the will of the executive. That's the essence of the legislature, to always checkmate the executive.

the Women shd go campaign to their colleagues...it wouldnt be given to them on a platter of gold...all apc can do is a fair zoning among d six geo political zones and live it dat let all men contest...

Next level wahala

JasonScoolari:
The PDP is also silent on who will emerge as the SP.

The Saraki formation will be deployed again.

It’s funny some PDP supporters think there’s actually conflict in APC’s camp concerning who becomes next senate president and next speaker...... the most dangerous game isn’t the one you don’t understand, just yesterday Borno state governor SHETTIMA threw his weight behind Lawan and Gbajabiamila, Ali Ndume is from borno state and he’ll not backout so he keeps penetrating PDP’s senators, APC already threw it’s weighr behind Lawan and Ghaja, Ali Ndume keeps acting like a prodigal son, watch how they all come together at the last minute to shut PDP out completely and leave them without any negotiation

Baba keeping his cool



He isn’t a man of many words

dre11:
• I stand with party’s choice, Shettima affirms

• Beware sabotage, Borno elders warn president

• Coalition tasks Oshiomhole, APC on Onyejeocha, Tinubu






https://m.guardian.ng/news/buhari-silent-as-lawan-ndume-claim-support/

The way Apc keep talking about party supremacy is flawed, it's the people that build the party,the party can not be bigger than the people rather collective decision should be supreme,in endorsing lawan n gbajabiamila was it collectively agreed at any Apc fora?, it's then appear that in Apc some few people now feels their views are laws n should not be question, that is exactly what is causing problems in the party n by implications the country,all these just go to show that buhari is an incompetent dullard that lacks the experience, knowledge, capacity n true integrity to lead not just the party but the country itself.

The whole saga points to a squalor of personal aggrandizement and political avarice with the soul aim of planting a sordid structure that will limp for looting and vouche for "a do as you like Cabal". Political power struggle in Nigeria has showcase our level of inefficiency in managing her wills. This whole of talking -talking is not helping us reshape anything against 2015.
Make una leave talk first, chop our money people, when the masses are dieing of poverty and the likes

OGHENAOGIE:
the Women shd go campaign to their colleagues...it wouldnt be given to them on a platter of gold...all apc can do is a fair zoning among d six geo political zones and live it dat let all men contest...

Well that's true but you know how slim their chances would be. About zoning i support that

nonxo007:

Well that's true but you know how slim their chances would be. About zoning i support that

nna if d women play dier cards well and are supported by dier colleagues de ll win...in anambra state two out of dier senators are women...same anambra has a female speaker and chief judge...i don't believe in reserving anything for women cos de are women de shd play d game and play d politics...its humanity...just like zoning which encourages mediocrity and discourages merit...dats yy I don't support apc saying lawan and gbaja is dier interest...let everyone campaign and contest so d best can win or d more supported....adamawa has a female senator too...