Northeast senators move to stop Senate President

Posted by admin Legislature, North-East, Senate Monday, May 2nd, 2011

SENATORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the Northeast appear opposed to the Northcentral keeping the job of Senate President.

Rising from a meeting in Abuja last wekend, the 14 senators said their zone would be “totally eclipsed” from the national power equation, if the Northecentral is allowed to retain the post.

Senate President David Mark, who is from Northcentral, is angling to retain the job for another four years.

The Northeast senators-elect met ahead of next week’s retreat for senators elected on PDP platform.

The issue of who leads the Senate in the National Assembly is expected to come up at the retreat.

A source at the Northeast senators-elect meeting, who said they took a collective decision not to project any person at the moment told The Nation: “We are of the view that the power arrangement in the country since the unfortunate demise of Yar’Adua has created deep dissatisfaction in the core North.”

The senators dismissed the argument by pro-Mark senators that experience and the stabilising effect of the Senate President in the past four years suggest that he should be retained for the 2011-2015 period.

They called attention to the events of last year when President Umaru Yar’Adua from the Northwest died and was succeeded by the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The campaign during recent electioneering showed deep division in the country. This is the time to heal the wound and promote unity in the country. This can only be so if the Northwest is carried along.

“It is true that the Northwest has been recognised with the zoning of the Vice Presidency there. But what about the Northeast?

The Northeast senators-elect contended that the contribution of the zone to making PDP strong cannot be dismissed. One of the newly elected senators said: “We have 14 senators – three from Taraba; three from Adamawa; the maximum three from Gombe; three from Bauchi; and two from Borno. What else could the party have expected from the zone? None of the other zones in the North made such impressive returns. Such loyalty should be rewarded.”

Prominent senators from the zone include incumbent Grace Bent from Adamawa South; Mohammed Mana, Adamawa North; and Dahiru Gabir, Taraba Central.

New names coming to the upper legislative chamber include Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State, who is to represent the central zone; Ali Ndume, who was Minority Leader in the House of Representatives until he defected to the PDP in January and is now to represent Borno South; Bello Tukur, Adamawa Central; Aisha Jumai, Taraba Central; and Babayo Gamawa, Bauchi North.

Senators elected from the Northcentral and Southeast are also holding caucus meetings to ensure that the Senate presidency is zoned to their areas.

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