Date Published: 05/10/11

Senate Presidency: David Mark promises Senators N10 million each
…Hires Ngige, Mamora, Abdulahi, Dariye, Ndume, Ningi as Foot Soldiers
…Why He frustrated the South East Bid for Speaker
…Set to dismantle Opposition from North East, South East tentative budget is N650 million
…To review of Quarterly Allowance, dangles juicy Committee Chairs

Senator David Mark

As the battle for the coveted seat of the senate president hots up, incumbent David Mark has put together a sophisticated team of senators who would coordinate a bribery ring to ensure his  return.

Mark, who gets over N250 million as quarterly allowance, has made available a huge chest of cash to the team made up of returning and outgoing senators, with one mandate: get me the seat at all cost. He has also promised to push for an upward review of the illegal quarterly allowance of N45 million presently enjoyed by each senator.

Pointblanknews.com sources hinted that the team has recommended N10 million per senator who is a versed to his candidacy. He has also mandated them to dangle chairmanships of juicy committees, with the top prize being the appropriation committee, hitherto held by Mark’s lackey,  vanquished Iyiola Omisore.

According to our source, as an incumbent he has some good followership from the present crop, however he still has to contend with new comers and those from zones who feel cheated. Said the source” As incumbent he can bring together no less than 50 senators without necessarily inducing anyone, but we still have no less than 50 who may want to throw spanner in the works when the issue is put up for voting on the floor”

The team which has met twice in the last one week, has Chris Ngige(ACN)Anambra Central; Sahabi Yau, (PDP Zamfara North); Abdulahi Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central); Victor Ndoma Egba, (PDP, Cross River North); Ganiyu Solomon, (ACN Lagos West); outgoing  Nimbe Mamora, ACN,Lagos East) and Joshua Dariye, Labor, Plateau State).
It was also gathered that the massively wealthy Mark is not very comfortable with his south east colleagues because they allege he was part of the plot that threw spanners in the bid of the zone to get the speaker’s position.

Pointblanknews.com learnt that the reason Mark coopted Ngige who is not a PDP man , is because he has a tough one bringing in any notable senator from the south east. Even his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, even though would hold on to his position, remains loyal to the south east caucus.

Said our source” The igbo senators are not happy, even his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu is not because Mark threw his weight behind President Olusegun Obasanjo who insisted the south west must retain the post of speaker.  They feel it was self-preservation because Mark calculated that if a Christian emerges as speaker, he may lose out being a Christian. This would mean the north central would have to present a Muslim”

A returning member of the House of Representatives who refused to be named because of the nature of the development said “ The senate president is going the extra mile. He has these senators as arrow heads mandated to reach out to those who do not want him to return. He has told them to do all they could, and it comes at a prize. All the so called coordinators have been promised juicy committee chairmanship”

Ndoma-Egba is in charge of silencing the opposition in the south south, while Solomon and Mamora will try to bring in the south west senators. Yau and Ningi have more difficult tasks of wooing the north.

According to our source” Mark has made available huge funds available, which is the usual tradition anytime the Senate and House want to pick the leaderships. The coordinators have recommended N10 Million, that’s what I heard, but I cant confirm it…It is meant for those who are very unhappy with the arrangement, for example the south east, that may have been schemed out of both the speaker and president positions. Some northern senators are not satisfied with the position of vice president or deputy speaker as well. Even though the party, and top party men want Mark retained, he is aware his ambition may be torn to pieces if he allows a vote on the floor without reaching out. Don’t forget he is not the only one from the zone”

Contacted, one of his media aides, Paul Mumeh described the allegations as baseless and work of mischief makers. According to him  “ Please ignore these baseless allegations. Forget this mischief, senators are responsible people”