Who Wears the Crown?

Key members of the next National Assembly line up for the race for leadership positions in the two chambers      

With just a few weeks to June 6, 2011 inauguration of the 7th National Assembly, the race for the principal offices of the two chambers is becoming fierce. Groups, geopolitical zones and individuals keen on occupying the key positions, especially, the senate president, deputy senate president, and speaker, House of Representatives are leaving nothing to chance in their bid to secure the plum jobs.

Indeed, since the conclusion of the April polls, Abuja, the nation’s capital has played host to meetings by various groups and individuals mobilising support for the lawmakers who are interested in occupying these positions. Essentially, the geopolitical zones that are neck-deep in the scramble for the post of senate president are the North-Central zone where David Mark, current senate president, comes from, the North-East zone, and the South-East.

However, the coast appears clear for Mark to retain the senate presidency.  Sources said that President Goodluck Jonathan and the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have tacitly endorsed Mark, as the next senate president. Mark, himself is not resting on his oars as he was believed to have personally visited President Jonathan at the Obudu Cattle Ranch where he went for a retreat recently. The senate president canvassed his support for the realisation of his ambition of serving a second term as senate president in the next four years.

Ahead of the battle for the senate presidency, all elected senators in the country met last week in Abuja. The meeting was aimed at galvanising support for Mark in his quest to retain the job. Ita Enang, one of the conveners of the meeting and senator- elect from Akwa- Ibom State, said the meeting was meant to provide a conducive atmosphere for the inauguration of the new National Assembly.

But the race is not yet a walkover for Mark. Some other well connected senators-elect are warming up to challenge him. Among those also eyeing the plum job are   Bukola Saraki, incumbent governor of Kwara State, in the North Central zone; Dajuma Goje, Gombe State governor, from North-East geopolitical zone, and Uche Chukwumerije from the South-East. The factor that may work against Saraki and Goje is that they are coming to the Senate for the first time. The Senate Order 97F says that “nomination of senators to serve as principal officers and chairmen of committees gives preference to ranking senators in the appointment of Senate leadership.” The order states that nomination to the senate leadership “…shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators in which members previously elected into the Senate are granted precedence.” Although Chukwumerije is a three-time senator, it is unlikely that the position would be ceded to the South-East. Indeed, last Wednesday, the PDP leadership decided that the position of senate president should be retained by the North-Central  zone.

 As regards the post of deputy senate president, there are indications that it will still be retained by the South-East.  However, although Ike Ekweremadu, the current holder of the post, stands a good chance of retaining his position, feelers from the National Assembly indicate that he would likely be challenged by other ranking senators from the zone like Chukwumerije from Abia South, Nkechi Nwogu from Abia Central and Enyinnaya Abaribe from Abia North.

In addition, the South-East also wants to produce the next speaker of the House of Representatives. The clamour for the position of the speaker of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly to be zoned to the South-East peaked last week when the president of the pan-Igbo organisation Ohanaeze joined the campaign. Ralph Uwechue, former ambassador and president general of Ohanaeze said President Jonathan and the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, must bow to the wishes of the people in terms of zoning of key posts in the National Assembly.  According to him, the South-East must be honoured with the number four slot on the national protocol list for its overwhelming support for the president and the PDP in the last elections. The Ohanaeze leader noted that in the just-concluded elections, the South-East voted 97 percent for President Jonathan, which amounted to about a quarter of the total votes cast for the President nationwide.

Besides, the Igbo votes in Lagos and parts of the North contributed significantly to the total aggregates that ensured victory for the president. In the National Assembly elections, the PDP scored about 90 percent in the South-East. “The reward system must be commensurate with the support. The PDP as a political party got total support from Igbo land. The long and short is that we want something from the National Assembly and they have said it: it is either Senate Presidency or the Speaker of the House of Representatives,” Uwechue said.

To demonstrate how determined Ndigbo are to secure  the position of the House of Representatives speaker, Peter Obi, governor of Anambra State, who is also the chairman of the  South-East governor’s forum, last week accepted to lead a lobby team to meet with President Jonathan on the issue.

Newswatch, however, learnt the PDP power brokers would likely not cede the post of speaker to the South-East. Rather, their plan is to compensate Ndigbo with the post of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, in addition to retaining the office of deputy senate president. Last Wednesday, the PDP leadership tacitly approved that the South-West should produce next speaker of the House of Representatives. This has sealed hope of the South-East in securing the seat.

Indeed, since the position of speaker is currently occupied by Dimeji Bankole from the South-West geopolitical zone, political leaders from that zone have been lobbying to retain the post of the nation’s number four citizen. The PDP’s poor outing in the South-West in the April elections appears to have weakened their demand for the number four position.  But it was gathered that former President Olusegun Obasanjo persuaded the PDP power brokers to allow the South-West retain the position. Newswatch learnt that this was why the PDP retained the present zoning formula, in which case the South-West will produce the next speaker.

However, despite the influence of Obasanjo and his closeness to Jonathan, the legislators-elect from the South-East have not given up in the race for speaker. Some of the federal lawmakers from the zone who are in the race are Emeka Ihedioha, chief whip, and  Bethel Amadi from Imo State, Oguefi Ozomgbachi from Enugu and Ezuiche Ubani from Abia.

Those in the race for the post of speaker from the South-West are Muraina Suabana Ajibola and Mulikat Akande Adeola. Ajibola, from Oyo State who is the only ranking lawmaker among the three returning PDP legislators from the zone, is tipped to secure the post if it is eventually ceded to the South-West. Ajibola’s choice also satisfies the criteria of having a Muslim speaker for the lower chamber and a Christian senate president in the upper chamber as was the case in the outgoing National Assembly.

However, the battle for the post is not limited to those who are eyeing it because it has split the ranks of returning members into three power blocs. The three camps are the fourth timers (1999 till date); third timers (2003 till date); and second timers (2007 till date).It was gathered that the fourth timers, now few in the House, had designated themselves as “kingmakers,” insisting that they must nominate the next speaker for endorsement by the rest. “What they want is either for them to pick the next speaker or at least, one of them must be the next deputy speaker. But those in the other two camps, especially the second timers, were said to be pushing for a “complete break from the past.”

These camps contend that the zone of the country to produce the speaker was immaterial at the moment, but a commitment by candidates that it will no longer be business as usual.”We need a break from the past; we have to return the House to what it is known for, the people’s House,” one of the newly elected lawmakers told Newswatch. This appears to be setting the stage for scheming among the lawmakers as the date for the inauguration of the 7th National Assembly gradually approaches.