Lawmakers-elect have started vying for the position of Senate president ahead of the start of the 10th National Assembly.
After Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, is sworn in on May 29, the 10th Assembly will be inaugurated in June 2023.
The 10th Assembly will have representatives from the Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Peoples Democratic Party, and All Progressives Congress in the red chamber.
Others include the Young Peoples Progressive Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, and Social Democratic Party.
The APC won 57 seats, the PDP secured 29, while the Labour Party easily won 6 seats. APGA and YPPP each have one member, whereas NNPP and SDP both have two members.
Apart from the Senate presidency, positions such as the deputy Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives are up for grabs.
Others are leaders of the majority and minority caucuses. They include the majority leader, deputy majority leader, majority or chief whip, deputy whip, minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip.
But even before the members of the 10th National Assembly are sworn in, the contest for the position of senate president has already heated up.
According to rumours, the APC’s zoning of the position will have a significant role in determining the next senate president.
To offer other geopolitical regions a sense of belonging in light of the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket that the party had chosen, APC chieftains in the South-South and South-East have urged for the zoning of the senate presidency to their regions.
The ruling APC is expected to announce the zoning formula for the 10th Assembly leadership after the Ramadan fast, according to the Senate’s spokesperson, Senator Ajibola Basiru.
On Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday morning, Senator Basiru announced this.
“I believe that our party will ultimately take a decision on the zoning possibly after Ramadan and certainly before June when the next Assembly will be convoked,” Bashiru said.
Below are lawmakers who have declared their ambitions to lead the 10th National Assembly.
1. Senator Jibrin Barau (Kano Central).
2. Sani Musa (Niger East).
3. Orji Kalu (Abia North).
4. GodsWill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom North-West).
5. Senators Osita Izunaso (Imo West).
6. Peter Ndubueze (Imo North).
7. Abdul’Aziz Yari (Zamfara West).
8. Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North).
9. Ali Ndume (Borno South).
