As the Northern Stakeholders Forum prepares to convene, anxiety is mounting over their forthcoming decision regarding the leadership of the National Assembly.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the forum is expected to play a crucial role in determining who will lead the legislative arm of the Nigerian government, with several candidates vying for the position.
Stakeholders from across the political and religious spectrum in Northern Nigeria are scheduled to gather and deliberate on the selection of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President for the 10th Senate.
According to a reliable source, the meeting, which is yet to be scheduled, is expected to take place in either Kaduna or Abuja before the end of the week, This Day reports.
Reports suggest that while some of the critical stakeholders are in favor of supporting a northern senator as Senate President, others have already decided on Senator Abdullahi Yahaya as Senate President and Senator Barau Jibrin as Deputy Senate President.
A third group has reportedly aligned with the position of the strategists of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who are pushing for the adoption of Senator Godswill Akpabio or Adams Oshiomhole as Senate President and Barau Jibrin as Deputy Senate President.
According to a source who wished to remain anonymous, Tinubu has accepted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will leave the Senate presidency of the incoming 10th National Assembly to the South. This decision formed the details of what transpired at the last meeting between Tinubu, the leadership of the APC, and some National Assembly members.
However, the majority of Senators-elect have insisted that the office must be openly zoned to the entire southern region, with no particular preference for any zone. Some have expressed confidence in the ability of returning Senators Orji Kalu and Sani Musa to hold the offices of the President and Deputy Senate President of the National Assembly.
Despite this, a member of the National Working Committee of the APC from the North, revealed that there was still disagreement among the Northern stakeholders on who should become the Senate President. Some stakeholders want the North to produce the Senate President, while others are willing to concede the office to the South-East.
The NWC member said: “ The South-east may have been ignored in the past and we do not want a situation whereby the incoming government will be faced with a lot of challenges.
The political consciousness and awareness in today’s Nigeria is one that should not be overlooked.
“We know we gave the votes but peaceful governance should also be considered.
“We will meet and take decisions on the President-elect’s decision. We are definitely not against his Choice of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Senator Sani Musa as President and Deputy President respectively because both of them are acceptable to all Nigerians considering their character and personality.
“We will also want the president-elect to take serious measures to appreciate the North-west for their contribution,” the source disclosed.
Another ranking Senator-elect, who pleaded anonymity, said the meeting of the stakeholders would help the North to move in unison.
He said: “It is expected that every region will fight for their interest to be protected in the incoming administration.
“On the choice of Orji Kalu the lawmaker held that there are no grudges against the candidature of the former Abia Governor describing him as strong ally of the North.
“We are not opposed to Kalu becoming the Senate President, over the years he has proven to have our interest at heart, you can see from the prestigious traditional titles he has earned from us, but we need to come together and agree on this, because our interest is paramount.
“By the end of the meeting involving various stakeholders in the North, we will know the direction of the North.
“It will strengthen us more. If the senate president will not come to us we will make other demands. We will support the Choice of Kalu and Musa because they have the numbers to win the election too.
“They are popular among the northern senators and it is fair and just to have a South easterner as the president of the 10th Assembly.
“A lot of my colleagues share the same sentiment that a South easterner should be President of the Senate,” the source added.
It is believed that the nation’s tripod (Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba) should be considered for the sake of peace and unity of the country.
The stakeholders are expected to reach a truce on the issue on a date yet to be decided.
