Parliamentary Ranking and the 8th Assembly   

By Mohammed Jamu Yusuf 

 

In the next couple of days, the 8^th National Assembly is set to be constituted. This realization has accordingly resulted in the intensification of the leadership battle in the Senate and House of Representatives

 

Top contenders for the Senate Presidency- Senators Ahmad Lawan and Bukola Saraki- and Speaker- Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon Yakubu Dogara- have currently deepened their arsenals thereby heightening the political intrigues and horse-trading. This development has resulted in lawmakers switching camps and, in some cases reinforcing support for their candidates.  

 

Apparently; of late,   Lawan and Gbajabiamila have consistently consolidated far more with greater number of lawmakers buying into their candidacy. The reasons are not only far-fetched but justifiable. Latching on Rule 2 of Senate Order that borders on ranking and legislative experience, many lawmakers have now  come to the conclusion that Lawan and Gbajabiamila are the  most suitable for the positions they have expressed interest. 

 

The Senate Rule 2 contains: “nomination of Senators to serve as Presiding Officers and appointments of Principal Officers and other Officers of the Senate or on any Parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of Senators. In determining ranking, the following order shall apply –Senators returning based on number of times re-elected; Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives; and Senators elected as Senators for the first time”.

 

Lawan has been in the National Assembly since inception in 1999. He was for the first  8 years member of the House and another 8 years member of the Senate and therefore the highest ranking Senator in the race for the Senate Presidency. Given the intent and spirit of the Rule, the Senator from Yobe state, Lawan is the proper person and most qualified to occupy the seat. 

 

Essentially, Senate cannot afford to move against its own Rule. Doing so will surely render the entire process unjust and may impact adversely on the integrity of the upper chamber. The same applies to Gbajabiamila who has spent 12 straight years in the House; out of which he has been the House Minority Leader for 8 years. He is clearly the most experienced among all those who want to be Speaker and as justice demands should be given the slot. 

 

The framers of the Senate Rule 2 obviously succeeded in reaffirming the significance of legislative ranking and experience and their relevance to leadership position. However, besides boasting of uncommon legislative experience, both Lawan and Gbajabiamila have for long been playing leadership roles in the parliament. The explicit implication is that both of them are evidently round pegs in round holes as far as the presiding positions are concerned.  

 

More so, it is imperative for  the Senators to collectively favour Lawan from North East based  on plausible point of equity. Come to think of it, during the recent general elections, the votes that gave All Progressives Congress victory especially at federal level came mostly from the North West, followed by the  South West; North East and  then North Central. As it stands now,  North West has taken President; South West Vice President; it is only equitable for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President to go to North East and North Central respectively. To do otherwise is clear perfidy.

 

 A cross section of the Senators-elect further pursued this position in a        letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and APC national chairman, Chief John Adigie-Oyegun . The letter signed by 35 APC Senators-elect contains: “there were three identified voting blocs that ensured the victory of the APC in the 2015 elections: the Hausa-Fulani bloc, the Yoruba bloc and the Northern minorities’ bloc 

 

“Thus, the Hausa Fulani bloc is represented by the President in this Government. The Yoruba bloc is represented by the Vice President. It has therefore become appropriate and equitable that the Northern minorities’ bloc be given the position of the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President to be occupied by Senator Ahmed Lawan and George Akume respectively who are of Northern minorities”

 

Their position is apt. For APC to be seen as a just and  egalitarian platform that accommodates the interest of all sections of the country the party leadership should step in and zone the Senate Presidency to North East and rally support for Lawan based on his towering ranking  in the Senate; rare legislative experience and unfathomable integrity.  

 

 

Jamu wrote from Abuja