by Musa Abdullahi
Following the release of the results of National Assembly elections held last Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, indications have emerged that the South East Geo-Political Zone have lost the opportunity to produce the next Senate President of Nigeria.
Chris Ngige a known chieftain of the All Progressives Congress from Anambra was not returned to the senate, he would have been the best option for the now opposition party, a source at the Leadership of the party in Abuja tells NewsWireNGR.
The source who does not want to be quoted in our report said, “Since the Zone did not vote for any candidate of the APC in the last election, there’s nothing the party can do, they wanted their PDP men, they can’t eat their cake and have it”.
Senators Bukola Saraki from Kwara, George Akume from Benue and Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa are in contention for the Senate President seat.
Another source tells NewsWireNGR, “Bukola Saraki had an agreement to shelve his Presidential bid for the Senate Presidency back when candidates where emerging for the party, and he was promised that position”.
“If you recall, when he backed down, he issued a statement to that effect, reading between the lines in that statement, you will realise that Saraki had a better deal with the Leadership of the party to deliver his state for that position”.
READ incase you missed it… In The Interest Of Country, Party – Saraki Suspends Presidential Ambition…
The APC had tentatively zoned the position of the Senate President to the North Central after its national convention in December following the emergence Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the North West, as the party’s presidential candidate and his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, from the South West.
APC has won no fewer than 65 seats in the last NASS election pushing PDP with 45 Senators to the second position in the upper legislative chambers.
Reports however suggests that Senate President, David Mark was being pressured by political interests to defect to the APC after the inauguration of the National Assembly in order to retain his post, a claim dismissed by sources close to the Senate President as mere rumour.
Another APC official said that there was no way the party would accept Mark as its Senate President since there were many qualified Senators from other states in the North Central to occupy the post.
The North East APC Senators are also making a case for the position of Senate President to be zoned to their region.
The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is expected to take decisions on a power sharing arrangement in the coming days.
