As at press time the National Executive Committee, NEC of the All Progressives Congress, APC was yet to fix a meeting to ratify the decision on the zoning of the office but advocates of the two men were pushing the aspirations of the two men on several fronts.

Senator Akume has nevertheless, wormed his way into the hearts of many on the basis of his position as the Senate minority leader when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was removed from power. Many are looking up to him with nostalgia that he should continue from where he stopped as minority leader on the prism that a winning team should not be changed.

Akume’s ambition was strongly canvassed this week when Senator Barnabas Gemade gave him a ringing endorsement for the office.

However, he is seriously tackled by a perception problem which many senators and stakeholders feel could challenge his aspiration.

Perception problem

Another issue that has arisen to challenge Akume is the fact that all the Senate Presidents from North Central, including the outgoing one, Senator David Mark, have come from Benue State. The others before Mark were Iyorcha Ayu and Ameh Ebute.

It is a point that advocates of the candidacy of Senator Bukola Saraki are bound to throw up. For Saraki, his emergence as Senate President could also be nostalgic, owing to the fact that Saraki has just spent only one term in the Senate. Read More about >>>Senator Akume and Saraki contention as the next senate president. Why either one of them may take the seat<<<

It is that argument on ranking that is now inspiring talk of Senator Ahmad Lawan, the longest serving legislator in the ranks of the APC. Senator Lawan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts holds a doctorate degree and had been in the legislature since 1999 when he first came to the House of Representatives on the ticket of the now defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.

His canvassers are saying that arguments on ranking should focus on him and his legislative achievements if they are to find any weight.

His supporters are also canvassing the claim that he would unlike the two major contenders be more accessible on the claim that he does not have executive hangover, having never been a governor with executive powers.

While a number of senators are said to be disposed to him, they are, however, challenged by the fact that Senator Lawan is from outside the North-Central, the zone that many in the leadership of the APC were said to have zoned the office to. The prospects of Senator Lawan is also causing some from the Northeast to push forward their own argument for commensurate reward. They are putting their hopes on Lawan

source:http://www.osundefender.org/?p=240430