Senate president: North-east senators jostle for David Mark’s seat

Barely three days after results of National Assembly elections put the All Progressives Congress (APC) in majority position in the Senate, elected 8th Assembly members of the North East caucus have‎ started strategising for the seat of the Senate president.
The argument is based on the notion that since APC won 13 Senate seats from the region; three from Borno, Adamawa and Bauchi each, while Gombe and Yobe produced two senators each, the region is the best qualified for the position. PDP won all three senate seats in Taraba state.
LEADERSHIP gathered from impeccable sources in the National Assembly that the national executive committee of APC has already been put on notice of the plan.

A source who is a member of the Senate from the region said on condition of anonymity that the North-east have suffered marginalisation in the National Assembly and now is the time to pick up steam.

He said, “We are the most marginalised region in Nigeria and we deserve to be compensated this
time around.”
“In the outgoing assembly, the region was denied the Senate presidency by the PDP in 2011 when David Mark was returned from the North Central zone despite opposition from the North East senators,” he stated.
Usually, but not compulsorily, ranking members of the legislature are considered more eligible to vie for leadership positions as principal officers. Following this order, Senator Ahmad Lawan from Yobe State may be positioned for the job from the region, having been in the National Assembly since 1999.
Former minority leader of the House of Representatives, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume from Borno State, who
was elected into the National Assembly in 2003 is also been considered.
Mohammed Danjuma Goje from Gombe State is said to also be interested in the seat and has already ‎started campaigning for support.
The APC national executive committee (NEC) is expected to take a decision on power sharing arrangement in the coming weeks.