THE WILL NEWS
The arrival of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the country last Monday has rekindled the race for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Also, the quest for a new Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and a new President of the Senate has engaged Tinubu’s attention since his return.
Most of those aspiring for both positions have been trying to win the support of the President-elect.
At least four senators are in the front race to succeed the incumbent Senate President as from June when the 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated.
They are Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Abdul Aziz Abubakar Yari (Zamfara) and Barau Jibrin (Kano).
The contenders have been moving round the country to campaign and justify their aspiration for the position.
One of the leading aspirants is the current Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu who last week met with the president –elect in his Aso-Rock home in Abuja where they were said to have engaged in a closed door meeting afterwards.
Apart from the leading four aspirants already mentioned earlier , others in the race are Sen Sani Musa (Niger East); Sen Ali Ndume (Borno South), Sen Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North); the serving Senate president, Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North); former Deputy Senate leader, Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central); Senate.
Of all these aspirants, only Umahi is going to the Senate for the first time.
Meanwhile Tinubu has admonished the APC governors to work with the party to avoid precipitating a leadership crisis in the National Assembly.
Tinubu asked Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Hope Uzodimma (Imo) and others to work with the party leadership and lawmakers on the election of principal officers of the 10TH National Assembly.
Tinubu made this admonition last Thursday during a meeting with some members of the Progressives Governors Forum who visited him at the Defence House in Abuja, according to a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman.
It has been gathered that the President- elect agreed with the suggestion of the governors that consensus candidates should not be picked, rather the positions should be zoned.
It was gathered that the meeting was part of Tinubu’s consultations with the APC stakeholders for the planned zoning of the positions.
He had earlier met with the party’s National Working Committee members and some aspirants.
The governors were led to the meeting by the Chairman of the PGF who also doubles as the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu.
