Fierce Battle For Senate President: Kalu, Umahi, Akpabio Lock Horns

The battle for the Nigerian Senate Presidency has been escalated by the entrance, into the race of Barau Jibri from Kano.

Not a few senators appears to be planning to take the exalted seat as the nation’s number three citizens when the upper chamber is inaugurated later in May after the Bola Ahmed has been sworn in.

Jibril, representing Kano North in the Senate, said in Abuja, while joining the race on Wednesday, that competence rather than sentiment should be the major consideration for election the next Senate Pesident.

“I intend to seek to be the president of the 10th senate. In the next few days, I will start my campaign and make a formal declaration,” he said.

There are reports on Tuesday that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has zoned the position, currently occupied by Ahmad Lawan, to the south south. The party has yet to officially confirm this.
In spite of the speculation that the position has already been zoned to a certain part of the country, senators in APC which won the majority in the March 18, 2023 national assembly elections, appear set to clash by the time they gather to elect new leaders for the Red Chamber as the Nigerian Senate is popularly known.

Indeed, those watching the Chamber described what is about to happen as the thespian clash of the titans with top senators, such as Orji Uzor Kalu, Dave Umahi, Gods’will Akpabio, amongst those that have signified their intension to run.

Ahead what some people have also described as a make or mar contest for the would be contestants, those familiar with the power sharing or zoning arrangement in Nigeria’s polity seems to have a clear view of who among the senators will wear the big cap of Senate President at the end of the day.

For instance, not a few have ruled out the possibility of Governor Umahi emerging as Senate President among other contestants, due to the fact that he’s bared to contest, being a fresher in the National Assembly, by the Senate rule.

On his part, Jibril is not likely to attain the position due to the zone he came from, according to those who have the knowledge of zoning arrangement in the party. This is because the Vice pesident -elect, Kashim Shetima is from the North, apart from the suggestion among those in the party that APC leadership may have also zoned the House of Representatives Speaker to the North.

For Kalu, the current Senate Chief Whip, not a few will agree that he’s favoured due to the fact that he’s the highest ranking senator from the south east, where the party is said to be considering zoning the position.

Unfortunately, thee seems to be disagreement in the party on whether the zone should actually produce the next Senate President, due to the meagre votes received by the party during the presidential election.
Also, the former Abia State governor is facing serious opposition from home in his quest to attain the position. On Tuesday, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a pan Igbo political body, warned APC to stop Kalu from becoming Senate President, because he will betray Tinubu.

This is a minus on the Abia former governor’s ambition to take the position, just barely few hours after he deeclard that it was his turn to lead the 10th Senate, those who spoke on the contest said.

Apart from having a case to answer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the group said the position should be zoned to Ebonyi state, where one of the contestants, Governor Umahi came from, for producing three senators for the party during the NASS election on February 25 came
Reactimg to Kalu’s comment the body said ” There is nothing like emilokan in the Southeast; Orji Uzor Kalu is not our Emilokan, that is a Yoruba coinage; we are Republicans here.

“The leadership has decided that the senate President should go to Ebonyi; it’s the only state with three senators in the Southeast, so Emilokan is in Ebonyi, not Abia State.

“Igbos can’t present somebody with an EFCC case, Igbos can’t present somebody as Senate President that would be disgraced tomorrow, Igbos can’t present somebody facing trial with EFCC, Igbos can’t bring somebody who doesn’t believe in Southeast Presidency.

“He is on his own, Ohanaeze disown Orji Kalu over his Emilokan, and we have a position on Umahi and if Akapabio became a Minority Leader as a first-timer, we are working on that arrangement for Umahi to emerge as the Senate President.

“Orji Kalu would beat Asiwaju as the Senate President; there is nothing like Emilokan in the Southeast, Orji Kalu has a lot of EFCC baggage, and he should clear himself first before talking about the Senate Presidency. He should submit himself for trials.

“Ndigbos can’t afford to gamble with his candidacy because he is controversial. The 10th assembly must amend their rules base on what they did to Akapbio as a first-timer. Orji Kalu would beat Asiwaju as a Senate President, so we are nominating Umahi.”

The wrangling among south east senators on who should take the position may favour another senator from the south south, Godswill Akpabio, if feelers from the party, that the region is also being considered by the APC leadership, for securing more votes for the party in the last presidential election is anything to go by.

Some APC leaders who spoke insist that the party should not ‘compensate the south east’ for refusing to vote for the party during the election. The position should rather go to the south-south where the party got many votes to elect Tinubu as president.

In case the party decides to zone the office to the south south, not a few insists that, becoming the Senate President will be a walk over for the former Akwa Ibom state helmsman, and the immediate past Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs.