₦airaland Forum

PDP orders senators to vote one candidate

A few days to the convening of the eighth National Assembly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a plot to take the Senate presidency from the All Progressives Congress (APC) which controls the majority of senators.

But the APC is not taking chances. It has summoned a meeting of its lawmakers to forge a united front.

The plot, if it succeeds, may lead to the return of outgoing Senate President David Mark and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu to their positions.

The PDP has directed its 49 senators to vote for one candidate when the eighth Senate convenes.

The APC is left with 59 Senators following the death of reelected Borno Senator Ahmed Zanna.

Although APC ought to produce the next President of the Senate, with its simple majority, the party has not reached a consensus.

Senate Committee on Public Accounts Chairman Ahmed Lawan and Ecology Committee Chairman Bukola Saraki are locked in a battle of popularity for the job.

The Nation learnt that PDP leaders at the party’s retreat in Port Harcourt,the Rivers State capital, for its senators-elect and members of the House of Representatives-elect mooted the idea of the opposition retaining the senate presidency.

It was gathered that the PDP leaders agreed that with block votes by its 49 senators, the party could win the must coveted seat with a simple majority.

The permutation of the PDP is that APC might be unable to birdge the gap between Lawan and Saraki.

A highly-placed source said: “The PDP leaders held a secret meeting in Port Harcourt on Monday night to finetune the plot.

“The development may see Mark and Ekweremadu joining the race in a ‘tactical moment’ if the APC remains divided.

“The PDP is seeking to retain the office because there is no rule which says either the majority party or the opposition should produce the president of the Senate.”

The source cited Section 50 (1) of the 1999 Constitution to back the lacuna.

The section says: “There shall be a President and a Deputy President of the Senate who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves…”

Apparently sensing the danger in going into the Senate presidency race divided, the APC leadership has called a meeting of its senators and Representatives for tomorrow in Abuja.

A statement by National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed inviting the lawmakers to the meeting did not reveal the agenda. It only urged them to be punctual at the International Conference Centre venue.

The meetings with the senators and the Reps will hold separately.

It was, however, learnt that the meetings might be used to galvanise a consensus.

As for the PDP, it was learnt that some of its governors have offered to bankroll the project to “pay back APC in its own coin for controlling the Seventh House of Representatives even when President Goodluck Jonathan was still in charge”.

Another source added: “We also want to spring a surprise and prove that anything is possible in politics. Once Mark and Ekweremadu are back in the saddle, APC will need at least the support of 72 or 73 members to remove them.

“If you look at Section 50 (2) (c), the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the Senate are required to remove the President of the Senate and deputy.”

“The PDP is trying to capitalise on internal wrangling within APC to realise its agenda.”

A third source however spoke of Plan B by some PDP leaders bordering on block votes.

The source added: “What the Port Harcourt retreat has so far achieved is the need for PDP senators-elect to vote enbloc based on prevailing circumstances in the Senate.

“The horse-trading will determine the direction of PDP bloc votes although the opposition is waiting in the wing for any slip.”

In his speech at the retreat in Port Harcourt, the outgoing President of the Senate, Chief David Mark, pleaded with PDP members-elect in the National Assembly to be united.



Mark said: “We must subject our individual interest to our group interest. In the election of principal officers of National Assembly, we must vote in one accord. We must know that united we stand, divided we fall.

“We must take our destinies in our hands. We must be ready to provide credible, vibrant, determined and focused opposition to the party in power in a manner that would guarantee development and good governance.

“In doing so, we must maintain a strong synergy between our members in the National Assembly and the National Working Committee. The PDP is still a brand all Nigerians know. We just need to reinvent the wheels and move forward.”

DONMAYOR19:
they said they are humble, humble indeed.

PassingShot:
I am very interested in what Barcanista, Dearpreye, Mogidi (more like Shigidi), SeverusSnape (more like Severe headache), and their fellow Lower Niger Republicans will say on this thread.

Waiting .......

philips70:
"The pioneer chairman of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Ahmed Tijani Ramalan, has disclosed that the agency pays the sum of N1.5bn monthly to the ex-militant leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to protect the nation’s maritime areas.

Dr Ramalan, however, lamented that despite such gesture, the country still loses over 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily from the nation’s shores.“

philips70:
“Over 400, 000 barrels of crude oil are being stolen daily from our shores under President Jonathan; yet we had a government that has the Navy, the Army and the Air Force, and the government of Jonathan decides to hand over the security of our maritime waters to Tompolo at a very exorbitant amount of money.

MissGdope:
Ehn na you sabi

MissGdope:
Yes

groundnutoil:
bros i need beta proof i need date of birth where for cape d verde bros na 5k i bet abeg give me link thanks

Fourwinds:
dis is what i call stu..pidity. I know Asari Dokunbo is behind dis. When GEJ was dere, were dey blind

groundnutoil:
pls am seriously having arguments with my mates about this we dn browse Google taya we d see Ethiopia from Edo and cape Verde pls can someone give me a gud correct answer with correct proof abeg I staked on this

babyosisi:
If that is what it takes let them do it
Today alone there has been two or three bombs
Yesterday and Sunday,several others

babyosisi:
Na today
Enough of the threats
Let us see action,that's what you promised
Campaign season is over
Show us what you gat

JEGA01:
"He is giving it top priority. There is nothing like life. He was elected to protect Nigerian lives and that is what he is precisely giving first priority to. He has spoken about that, security throughout the campaign, the insurgents trying to test his resolve. I have a feeling that they will be in for surprises,"

The Ijaw National Congress (INC), said the 1914 British amalgamation of ethnic nationalities by the British colonialists has since expired.

The congress said in a communiqué at the end of a two-day summit in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, that it has therefore decided that the Ijaw nation would initiate the process of re-negotiating its co-existence with other nationalities in the country.

The meeting came barely hours after Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s immediate past President, relinquished power on Friday, May 29, 2015 to Muhammadu Buhari, winner of the March 28, 2015 Presidential election.

According to the communiqué issued at the end of the summit, which had as theme: ‘The Ijaw Agenda Beyond 2015,’ made available Monday, “the cession treaties between the Ijaw and British colonial authorities have lapsed and that the instrument of amalgamation of 1914 that produced the country Nigeria expired in 2014.”

Rejecting laws and regulations that deny the Ijaw people control of their resources, the INC expressed regret over the refusal of successive administrations to unite the Ijaws in homogenous states.

The communiqué signed by the INC chairman, Boma Obuoforibo and 30 others, further stressed that “the Ijaw Question predates Nigeria and the current structure of the Nigerian State is lopsided in favour of the majority ethnic nationalities without adequate socio-political and economic space for the minority ethnic nationalities.”

The group agreed at the end of the summit attended by over 1,500 men, women and youths, participated at the summit, that ethnic nationalities in the country “should form the basis of a true Nigerian federation.”

The apex Ijaw socio-cultural body, also condemned the present constitutional and legislative arrangements for resource control and allocation, adding that resource-bearing communities in true federations and the civilised world control their resources.

It noted that in spite of the adverse impact of crude oil and gas exploration and exploitation on Ijaw land, the Federal Government had yet to address the negative effects on health, economy, culture and environment.

INC further argued that the restiveness in the region was the people’s reaction to oppression and frustrations, stressing that the militarisation of the area had resulted in severe erosion of their cherished values as a people.

The summit, however, thanked Nigerians for the support and solidarity they gave the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan even “in the heated ambiance of the 2015 general elections”.

networkrecharg:
[size=15pt]When the spirit of 94 killed persons meet you in the bush, you will explain why and who you want to congratulate.....[/size]

barcanista:
OP have you ever heard of BabaOneChance?

dtruth3:
My friend keep shut! What is even wrong with Nigerians?
What has the day She registered got to do with the points she raised?

Anyway, i pity her for ever believing that there was a CHANGE!
To even think she calls herself a CHANGE agent got me cracking.

Lvlink:
that is the problem with people like you, when an important issue is raised, instead of acknowledging or disputing the facts constructively, you rather bring your sychophancy to bear!

Please my fellow "Genuine change Agents" let us save Baba from this danger before it is too late! Not people like this ^ who are Baba supporters for convenience.

#IstillloveBaba

Beremx:
They have moved from Buhari's wife to his daughter. Next is his son.

PDP should play the good opposition and stop witch hunting the President's family with propaganda.

SeverusSnape:
They can't do that again, They've learned from barcanista's episode, If they lampoon this soe, they risk losing him too, So I think they will keep their cool. By the way, It's SeverusSnape not serveusnape and it's midolian not midollin. Thanks

OREMUSSANCTUS:
Story for d gods

Mogenerous:
Seconded and fact is their hate won't stop him from being the president for the next four Eight years, God willing. If you are asked what's the name of your president, it's Buhari they will mention so why hating this much and there is this particular guy that causes more uproar than necessary trying to influence the judgment of others all because he belongs to the PDP party. For crying out loud this won't solve the situation on ground instead we should work together with him to make Nigeria better and if he doesn't work, we collectively vote him out... Period