Politics
Three Nominations Expected For 10th Senate Contest
The zoning template for the 10th National Assembly Presiding offices set by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) prior to the inauguration is causing ongoing turmoil within the ruling party.
Senators and House of Representatives members are rejecting the template and urging the party to rectify the issue.
If the matter remains unresolved before the inauguration on June 13th, it is likely that three Senators-elect, namely Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom North West, Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia North, and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara West, will be nominated for the position of Senate President.
Interestingly, the three aspirants vying for the position of Senate President share a common background as former Governors.
According to information, it is speculated that after the nominations on that day, Abdulaziz Yari may withdraw from the race, allowing Orji Uzor Kalu to compete against Godswill Akpabio for the position of Senate President.
This arrangement would leave Akpabio representing the South South region and Kalu representing the South East.
Additionally, nominations for the position of Deputy Senate President would follow. Senator Sani Musa, currently the Chairman of Senate Services and representing Niger East, is expected to be nominated by a Senator from the North Central region.
Senator Jibrin Barau of Kano North would also be nominated for the same position. It is worth noting that Yari, who had previously stepped down for Kalu, would receive a nomination for the Deputy Senate President position as well.
The Senators- elect are settling for open nomination in order surprise everyone that they will need their own leader, using the open secret ballot process.
In the Upper Chamber, the President of the Senate and the Deputy Senate President positions are the Presiding officers that would warrant all the Senators to vote and elect them while the principal officers are the prerogative of the parties to produce them.
The positions are the Majority leader, the Deputy Majority Leader; the Chief Whip and the Deputy Whip from the ruling party while the opposition would produce the Minority Leader; Deputy Minority Leader; Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
The source said, ” Kalu is still in the race, when the time comes, some Senators from the North will back him, he is seen as one of us, he started his early life with us in the north, we trust him.
” The party is behind him, a lot of progress has been made and we have been asked to keep our lips sealed. There is already a deal on ground between Kalu and Yari.”
Yari and members-elect from the North are still pushing for a different agenda, especially the position of Senate President inspite of the announcement of the zoning template of leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly by the ruling.
Vanguard gathered that Governor of Sokoto State and Senator- elect, Aminu Tambuwal, PDP, Sokoto South; Senator- elect- Aliyu Wamakko, Sokoto North; former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly, House of Representatives Matters, Senator- elect, Sumaila Kawu, NNPP, Kano South; Senator’ elect, Sahabi Yau, APC, Zamfara North; a ranking Senator and former Governor of Gombe State; another Senator-elect elect from Zamfara; a Senator- elect from Katsina State, among others are pushing for Yari as the next President of the Senate.
Despite the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South South, with it microzoned to Akpabio, these former governors from the North, members of the National Assembly from the ruling party and the opposition have continued to carry out secret campaign for Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara State. Yari who is also a Muslim.
A source told Vanguard that ” we the supporters of Yari have decided to go under ground and continue with the campaign to avoid being harassed by the party and the government. We are in APC, LP, NNPP and others.”
Recall that Kawu while speaking on Trust Television this week, had said that 73 Senators- elect were already backing Yari’ aspiration.
Recall that the Senator Abdullahi Adamu led National Working Committee, NWC of the APC had three weeks ago given direction to where the leadership of the 10th National Assembly will come from as it zoned the Presidency of the Senate to South – South and microzoned it to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom and Deputy Senate President to North West in person of Jibrin Barau, Kano North.
Similarly, in the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass from North West was endorsed by the APC leadership as the preferred candidate for the position of the Speaker. Benjamin Kalu from South East emerged as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
The arrangement may be based on the fact that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu and his Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, are both Muslims as well as the head of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN , Justice Kayode Ariwoola who is a Muslim.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that despite the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South South, Senators- elect Kalu and Yari have been holding nocturnal meetings with other Senators- elect from all the Zones to cajole and solicit for their support.
One of such meetings was held on Monday in one of the Districts of Abuja with a former Governor from South South, Yari, Kalu, some ranking Senators from the North Central in attendance to speak that a zone cannot have two Presiding officers as being postulated by the leadership of the APC.
There was a follow- up meeting with some Senators – elect from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP; Labour Party, LP; Social Democratic Party, SDP; All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and Young Progressives Party, YPP.
A Senator- elect from the South who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity during the induction for members- elect of the 10th Senate, warned that with the role being played by their Northern colleagues, if aspirants from the South refuse to be on the same page and find a common front in the next few days prior to the inauguration, the North will produce the next President of the Senate, who will also be a Muslim.
Recall that after the National Assembly election, of the present lawmakers in the red Chamber, 30 of the old in the present 9th Senate succeeded in the election, just as the ruling APC is comfortable with the majority of both old and new with a total number of fifty nine Senators; the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has a total number of thirty- six Senators; the Labour Party has eight Senators; the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP has two; Social Democratic Party, SDP has two, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and the Young Progressives Party, YPP have one Senator each.
Investigations have shown that Akpabio already has forty- four guaranteed members- elect, only an agreement between Yari and Kalu can defeat him.
Sunday Vanguard also gathered that there is formidable group in the 9th Senate that have been re- elected who are pushing for Sani Musa as Deputy Senate President and sixty- six members have already expressed commitment to the project.
A source told Vanguard that the leadership of the party was still in search of solutions to the problems as there are plans to delay one of the first administrative assignments for the President- elect, Senator Bola Tinubu once he is sworn in as president and that is the proclamation for them to be sure that the party has got the required to achieve its zoning template.
The proclamation is constitutionally circumscribed that he would send an official communication to the Clerk to the National Assembly to convene the 10th National Assembly, get down to the business of electing the Presiding Officers and inaugurating the the Senate and the House of Representatives.
As gathered the APC may not want a repeat of 2015 when the outgoing President of the Senate was the favoured candidate of the APC for the position of Senate President, and with a majority in the Senate, he was expected to carry the day, but with smartness and battle of wits that played out, he did not get it.
It would be recalled on June 8, 2015, the day the formal election for Senate President was to be held, while majority of APC senators, about 50, were waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari who had invited them to a meeting with him at the International Conference Centre, Senator Bukola Saraki and other senators of the APC moved into the National Assembly Complex for the election of principal officers.
A total 57 Senators loyal to Saraki, most of them PDP members, unanimously elected him after he was nominated by Senators Dino Melaye and Sanni Ahmed Yerima and that was how Lawan lost out but he would later serve in the leadership of the Senate.
Also recall that Abdulaziz Yari, this week said that he was in the race for the Presidency of the 10th Senate in line with the constitution of the country and and not zoning arrangement made by any political party.
Answering questions from Journalists at the International Conference Centre, ICC, Abuja at the ongoing Induction Programme for Members- elect of the National Assembly organised by the National Assembly and National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS who Yari insisted that he was still in the race as provided for by section 50 ( 2) of the 1999 Constitution, said that his aspiration was not an affront against his party , the APC, said, ” My aspiration for Presidency of the 10th Senate is covered by relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution which to me , is superior to any other law or arrangement .
He said, ” I am a loyal party man , nobody has told me that any position has been zoned to anywhere as far as the 10th National Assembly is concerned.
” Position of President of the Senate, is first among equals among the 109 Senators . Any Senator – elect who wants to occupy the position must seek for support of others which i am doing.
” It is hire and fire arrangement . I want them to hire me as President of the 10th Senate on the day of inauguration . Many of those approached by me , have given their supports and i won’t disappoint them. My becoming Senate President on the day of inauguration lies with decision that will be made by 108 other Senators that day and nothing else.”
It was a plethora of pleasantries in Osogbo on Thursday, when Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke was named 2024 Governor of the year and endorsed for second tenure in office by the top management of the Leadership Newspaper.
The newspaper’s team was on a courtesy call on Gov Adeleke, Biztellers reports.
Receiving them at the Government House, Gov Adeleke noted that his administration had reduced the infra deficit by over 40 percent.
He added that his administration had also bridged access to primary health care, with an ambition to expand health access at medium and tertiary levels.
He said, “Osun State is constantly getting recognitions for what outsiders and even opposition members regard as our commendable performance.
“In the last one year, our government has been conferred with several awards across the sectors. Aside from reputable newspapers like the leadership stable, we have received accolades from several federal agencies and non-governmental bodies. The consensus from those reviewing our performance and service delivery is that we are true agents of good governance.
“In all these positive ratings, my response has always been to task my team to double their efforts. In the face of overwhelming positive reviews and high approval ratings, I am compelled to drive my team harder. When recently, some opposition figures confessed to our positive ratings, I still believe we have a lot of grounds to cover.
“I am not allowing the praises to enter my head. While it may be true that I have delivered a four-year task in under two years, I am propelled to do more because Osun has been left behind on many fronts. As I have reduced the infra deficit by over 40 percent, my real target Is higher. As I have bridged access to primary health care, my ambition is to also expand health access at medium and tertiary levels. While our records across the sectors are laudable as your newspaper has acknowledged, the ultimate goal is to accelerate infra upgrade alongside the boosting of soft investment for the well-being of our people.
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“I appreciate your candid endorsement of our performance. It is important to note that your yardstick for recognizing us correlates with similar reasons adduced by others. Our huge governance records are undeniable facts especially in workers’ welfare, infrastructure delivery, educational expansion, health care access improvement, solid mineral sector reforms, digital economy initiatives, agricultural mechanisation among others.
“I want to assure the public that our administration is not slowing down. Very soon, I will flag off ongoing remodeling of Osogbo stadium to assume international standard. Prior to the ongoing stadium project, we have engineered the creation of Osun Sport Commission and Osun Sport Fund through appropriate legal and policy framework.
“Very soon, I will be flagging off the dualisation of phase one of Odoori – Post office road at Iwo. The contractor for Iwo -Osogbo road has mobilized to site. We plan to complete the two projects within the life of this administration. Meanwhile, the dualisation project at Ilesa is progressing while the flyover bridge at Ile Ife is ongoing with appreciable progress. 2025 is billed to be a year of further expansion of good governance for the good of man and humanity.
On his part, the Vice Chairman of Leadership Group Mike Okpere, noted that the recognition is in order to give Gov Adeleke an insight and encouragement to do a second term.
“Your excellency you will see that, we didn’t just come down here, we had a meeting before the award and that is why we are here, so this trip is to notify you formally for this award and we personally invite you on the 8th of April at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Asokoro where this award will be handed on over to you.
“Our Reputable Person of the Year is Aliko Dangote, you all are aware of the investment he just concluded, by bringing fuel production into Nigeria, because of that and many other things, we chose him as our person of the year.
“Other person’s that would be sharing the merit are other governors that have touched people’s lives, among them is the Governor from Akwa Ibom State, the Governor of Enugu State, the Governor of Jigawa State and the Governor of Kano State.
“We didn’t call this Leadership Governor of the year, we call it Governor of the year, in other words, what we are saying is that, this recognition will give you an insight and encouragement to do a second term.
“As a newspaper company, we don’t endorse Governors but when we see something we say it, your Excellency sir, I therefore want to present this notification and official invitation”, he added.
Other members of the Leadership Newspaper team includes, Abraham Nda Isaiah, Director, Leadership Group, Ibidiran Ayokunle, Head Southern Operations, Joshua Dada, Osun State.
The Cross River State House of Assembly has initiated the process to amend the Local Government Law 2007, introducing provisions to expand political appointments and enhance local government administration across the state.
The bill, sponsored by Rt. Hon. Davies Etta, representing Abi State Constituency, was debated on Tuesday in Calabar.
It proposes increasing the number of appointees in each Local Government Area (LGA) to 50. Among the new roles are 16 Special Adviser positions and a cadre of officials known as Ward Relation Officers.
According to the bill, “The Chairman of Council may appoint such a number of Special Advisers to assist him in the discharge of his duties, provided that appointments, when added to other statutory appointments, shall not exceed a total number of 50.”
The proposed Ward Relation Officers will hold ranks equivalent to Special Advisers and will report directly to the Chairmen of their respective LGAs.
This move, the Assembly says, is aimed at fostering grassroots engagement and improving governance at the local level.
Another key provision of the bill seeks to elevate the office of the Head of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) to the status of a Permanent Secretary within the state public service.
The amendment stipulates that HOLGAs will enjoy all the rights, privileges, and entitlements of Permanent Secretaries, including pensions.
“The office of the HOLGA shall be equivalent to the office of a Permanent Secretary of the State Public Service and shall enjoy all rights and privileges of the Permanent Secretary, including pensions,” the bill states.
It also specifies that appointments to the HOLGA position must be made exclusively from within the local government service in the state.
The bill, which has passed its first and second readings, has been referred to a joint committee on Local Government Affairs, Judiciary, and Public Accounts for further review and consultations with stakeholders.
Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, underscored the importance of the proposed amendment, noting that it would strengthen local government administration and improve service delivery to the grassroots.
The Assembly is expected to hold further deliberations before making a final decision on the proposed amendments.
Donald Trump has completed his return to the White House with his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States (POTUS).
Trump’s historic return, on account of adverse weather conditions, happened with a remarkable ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda, on Monday.
In his inaugural address, President Trump outlined a bold agenda for his administration, touching on issues of gender, race, border control, economic reforms, and energy policies.
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President Trump asserted that his administration would recognise only two genders — male and female — effectively dismissing identities such as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer.
President Trump asserted, “This week, I will end the government policy of engineering race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. Henceforth, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
He unveiled plans to overhaul the trade system, introducing an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs from foreign countries, promising to shift the economic burden away from U.S. taxpayers.
“I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump stated.
The POTUS vowed to make America a “manufacturing nation” again by leveraging the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.
“America will be a manufacturing nation once again. We will use our liquid gold — oil and gas — to bring prices down, fill our reserves, and export energy worldwide. We will end the Green New Deal and revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry,” he said.
On border control, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and announced measures to combat illegal immigration.
“All illegal entry will be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions of criminal aliens. The Remain in Mexico policy will be reinstated, and catch-and-release practices will end. Troops will secure our borders to repel this invasion,” he announced.
He also pledged to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to combat criminal networks.
The POTUS announced the formation of a Department of Government Efficiency and outlined measures to tackle inflation and high costs.
He also promised an aggressive crackdown on crime, leveraging federal and state resources to eliminate gang activity.
“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions,” President Trump added.
He recounted an assassination attempt during his campaign, framing his survival as a divine sign of his purpose to “make America great again.”
In addition, President Trump criticised America’s healthcare and education systems, promising significant reforms to address inadequacies exposed by recent natural disasters.
The event, attended by lawmakers, distinguished guests, and family members, marked the beginning of President Trump’s second term. Vice President JD Vance was also sworn in, taking the oath of office in a ceremony presided over by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
It was gathered that earlier in the day, President Trump and Melania Trump met with outgoing President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, continuing the tradition of a handover meeting between administrations.
At a pre-inauguration rally, President Trump addressed supporters, promising to pardon January 6 defendants and issuing executive orders on his first day in office.
Despite freezing temperatures, the ceremony proceeded with President Trump expressing confidence in his administration’s vision and America’s future.
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