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APC May Lose Senate Presidency to PDP

27 Sep 2015
By Olawale Olaleye

Senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are intensifying their plot to take over the senate should Senate President Bukola Saraki fail to survive his ongoing legal battles, which they view as power play among contending forces within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

THISDAY got wind of the plot from some of the Senators, who have been meeting over the development in the senate and the travails of Senator Saraki.

Saraki, whose emergence as Senate President was as a result of the overwhelming support given to him by PDP senators despite his party’s opposition to his aspiration for the topmost position in the senate, is currently facing a 13-count charge of alleged false declaration of assets at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

There had been allegations that the current travails of Saraki were aimed at easing him out of the office of the Senate President. But the PDP lawmakers are confident that should there be a need for votes to pick a presiding officer, the party’s caucus is in a good stead to determine who presides over the upper chamber.

Their confidence is predicated on a simple extrapolation of  numbers and alliances. For instance, the Senate has 109 seats, with one of the seats vacant as a result of death. The remaining 108 are made up of 59 APC senators and 49 PDP senators.
While the APC caucus is divided over the emergence of Saraki as Senate President, the PDP caucus remains intact, and would only need 11 more Senators to fulfil the constitutional stipulation of one third votes to produce the Senate President.

It was gathered that the PDP senators have also realised that one of the problems President Muhammadu Buhari and others seemed to have with Saraki is the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President, and are of the view that should Saraki be removed, the APC would not be satisfied until Ekweremadu is also removed – consequently forcing members of the PDP caucus  to stay together as a united team to be able to assert themselves and get what they need.

Their calculation is that if APC successfully used the judiciary or other means to remove Saraki, the PDP which already has access to the Senate President's core supporters in APC, would reach out to them, since they are already endangered and aggrieved. This way, they will get the required one third  to elect either Senator David Mark or Ekweremadu as  Senate President.

According to some members of the PDP caucus, should Mark emerge, his acceptance will be easier because he is still respected among ranking senators, who would all rally round him. Ekweremadu’s choice is believed to be strategic too because of the way the current administration is seen to be treating the Igbos, therefore using his Senate Presidency to balance the lopsided power equation in the country would be the way to go.

In addition, the PDP senators are said to have gone far in their plot such that they already have the understanding of their APC allies that in the worst case scenario that they come face-to-face with threat from the APC leadership (which is most likely), some of them would absent themselves from sitting on the day of the election of a new Senate leadership.

Some of the senators who spoke to THISDAY in confidence on the issue were of the view that should that happen, the new leadership would endure because while its requires a simple majority to elect the Senate President and his deputy, what is needed to remove them is a two-third majority - a number the APC cannot muster in both instances given the current dynamics in the senate, politically and in terms of numbers.

Citing lack of capacity to manage success in a critical institution like the Senate, some of the PDP senators are of the view that a party that is uncoordinated and lacking internal cohesion is evidently unable to lead a critical arm of government like the Senate, much less the country.

The PDP Senators noted that they had every opportunity to have seized the leadership of the Senate at inauguration but chose to be democratic and exhibit political maturity. However, with the development in the Senate, the PDP Senators argued that the need to save the Senate from the greed of some APC leaders had become inevitable, hence their resolve to take over the senate in the event that a need to elect a new leadership arises.

The lawmakers also noted that after all, the Senate in the last few years, especially under the PDP Senate President David Mark, did a lot, not only to stabilise the institution, but the country in general through its many interventions at critical periods in the nation’s political evolution.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/apc-may-lose-senate-presidency-to-pdp/221283/

For instance, the Senate has 109 seats, with one of the seats vacant as a result of death. The remaining 108 are made up of 59 APC senators and 49 PDP senators.
While the APC caucus is divided over the emergence of Saraki as Senate President, the PDP caucus remains intact, and would only need 11 more Senators to fulfil the constitutional stipulation of one third votes to produce the Senate President.

You are making 'instance' for 11 apc senators to support PDP but you aren't making 'instance' for 11 PDP senators to join APC 59(majority)

I like the 'instance', because it's a dream that can't come through

Back-stabbers! So upon all the noise they've made over Saraki, they too have been praying for his downfall. I thought they said they're solidly behind him and nothing will happen to him.

Statistics and Politics are Friend.

Impossible! They shall scatter as they gather. All the former governors now senators are to be arraigned in the coming weeks for false declaration of asset.

It seems some of these looters don't know what is at stake. They will start asking Saraki to resign by the time they know what Buhari has in stock for them.

Yerima is next to face charges.

@op
all this your blabbing hold no water.

it is clearly stated in the Senate standing rule, that the majority party produce the senate president.

if you tell me some Senators elected on the platform of the APC will decamp to PDP, I might agree with you to some extent.
but again, if you decamp, tou automatically loose your seat.

give me another way/strategy on how PDP could clinch that sit.


happy sunday




gi

Bunch of jokers, which David Mark are they referring to, the one whose stay in the Senate is seriously threatened or who? Thisdaylive should come up with better permutations, this one died before it arrived.

agarawu23:


You are making 'instance' for 11 apc senators to support PDP but you aren't making 'instance' for 11 PDP senators to join APC 59(majority)

I like the 'instance', because it's a dream that can't come trough

The senators have already "betrayed" the APC and know they would be in soup if Lawan emerges SP!! Prominent members of this group are the new principal officers ,Dino melaye,Sani Yerima etc!!! The only way their political interests would be protected will be to align with PDP.So the APC might have to make a choice between Saraki and Ekwremadu

Trash news of the day
And brought to Nairaland by Chukwudi the Chief Wailer this early morning
He wants to spoil his morning instead of preparing to go to church.

it is clearly stated in the Senate standing rule, that the majority party produce the senate president.

Sorry dear,there is no such provision in the senate standing rule!! Any senator can become Senate President.

IamPatriotic:
Bunch of jokers, which David Mark are referring to, the whose stay in the Senate is seriously threatened or what Thisdaylive should come up with a better permutation, this died before it arrived.

The same Thisday that published Gej was going to win 25 states 24hrs before election.

Interesting country...

Relax and see the game of power.


I support the take-over of the Senate Presidency by PDP rather than for a puppet to be install by APC and her managers.

This would allow for necessary balance of power, and Nigerians would be the judge.

Installing Tinubu's puppet would do Nigerians more evil than good. A Case study of the puppet he installed in Lagos to checkmate the governor of the state. (Ikuforiji vs Fashola in the case of True Face of Lagos. Allegations and counter allegations)

jcflex:
@op
all this your blabbing hold no water.

it is clearly stated in the Senate standing rule, that the majority party produce the senate president.

if you tell me some Senators elected on the platform of the APC will decamp to PDP, I might agree with you to some extent.
but again, if you decamp, tou automatically loose your seat.

give me another way/strategy on how PDP could clinch that sit.


happy sunday




gi

Thought the constitution said in case of such an eventuality,the deputy would take over??Well what do i know?? Watching everyone of them in 3D

chukwudi44:


Sorry dear,there is no such provision in the senate standing rule!! Any senator can become Senate President.

Go and read it well Oga

GudluckIBB:


Go and read it well Oga

I would rather you post it here dear since you are the one claiming it exists!!

APC has already lost Senate leadership. Saraki is not APC

1miccza:


Thought the constitution said in case of such an eventuality,the deputy would take over??Well what do i know?? Watching everyone of them in 3D

The DSP would become acting SP and oversee another election.That is the position of the constitution on the matter.

chukwudi44:


Sorry dear,there is no such provision in the senate standing rule!! Any senator can become Senate President.

Yes according to the constitution they shall elect from among themselves but I think they have standing rules.

Dream on. No crimes, No impossibility in Dreamland.

agarawu23:


You are making 'instance' for 11 apc senators to support PDP but you aren't making 'instance' for 11 PDP senators to join APC 59(majority)

I like the 'instance', because it's a dream that can't come trough

You are right.
What Op and thisday failed to realise is that nobody wants to be in the limelight with rotten skeletoen in their cupboard.
.......Except the PDP senator is very very clean to the extent that He/She haas not stolen a penny before


.......But in all of this, I blame the Ibos, they used their oversabi to support jonathan and lost their own position awaiting them.
Should Ngige or one Apc senator had won a senatorial seat from the East, Senate presidency would have been zoned to the East automatically.

........But they lost it all to becos of their stupidity.

1miccza:


Thought the constitution said in case of such an eventuality,the deputy would take over??Well what do i know?? Watching everyone of them in 3D

Taking over only apply in joint tickets like govs and president. Senate president is like class rep n deputy class rep.

GudluckIBB:


You are right.
What Op and thisday failed to realise is that nobody wants to be in the limelight with rotten skeletoen in their cupboard.
.......Except the PDP senator is very very clean to the extent that He/She haas not stolen a penny before


.......But in all of this, I blame the Ibos, they used their oversabi to support jonathan and lost their own position awaiting them.
Should Ngige or one Apc senator had won a senatorial seat from the East, Senate presidency would have been zoned to the East automatically.

........But they lost it all to becos of their stupidity.

I hate it when people say Igbos are stupid for voting for their choice. Pls respect this.

GudluckIBB:


You are right.
What Op and thisday failed to realise is that nobody wants to be in the limelight with rotten skeletoen in their cupboard.
.......Except the PDP senator is very very clean to the extent that He/She haas not stolen a penny before


.......But in all of this, I blame the Ibos, they used their oversabi to support jonathan and lost their own position awaiting them.
Should Ngige or one Apc senator had won a senatorial seat from the East, Senate presidency would have been zoned to the East automatically.

........But they lost it all to becos of their stupidity.

Was that also why the igbos lost the SGF earlier promised to them? You think you are talking to fools baa? Automatically zoned to the SE indeed!! What happened to the SGF "automatically" zoned to the SE?

chukwudi44:


Was that also why the igbos lost the SGF earlier promised to them? You think you are talking to fools baa? Automatically zoned to the SE indeed!! What happened to the SGF "automatically" zoned to the SE?

Just as Jonathan zones his SGF to NE

bigass:


I hate it when people say Igbos are stupid for voting for their choice. Pls respect this.

Dont mind the idiot!! He is not even asking if the elected PDP senators are better than their APC opponents

bigass:


Just as Jonathan zones his SGF to NE

Did GEJ zone his SGF to the NE? I dont know about that

bigass:


Yes according to the constitution they shall elect from among themselves but I think they have standing rules.

There is no such provision in the standing rules!! The PDP could have taken over the senate last June 9 if they so wished

chukwudi44:


Did GEJ zone his SGF to the NE? I dont know about that

Just for the laugh. Most Presidents have their kinsmen as SGF. I used to laugh when I hear sgf will be Ibo.

chukwudi44:


Was that also why the igbos lost the SGF earlier promised to them? You think you are talking to fools baa? Automatically zoned to the SE indeed!! What happened to the SGF "automatically" zoned to the SE?

Who promised you SGF?
Can you paste the link were it was stated that SGF is reserved for the IBOS?
Pls get understanding and stop saying what you don't know!

The story headline ought to be, 'APC set to reclaim senate president seat from PDP' because Saraki's body language is PDPish.

bigass:


I hate it when people say Igbos are stupid for voting for their choice. Pls respect this.

They would have balanced it and take the risk of.........Should it go this way,we stand a change OR Should it go the other way, we have nonthing to loose

.....Not laying all ur eggs in one basked.let's admit it.

................The Ibos made a very big and collective mistake