Any Attempt To Impose Presiding Officers On The 9th Senate Will Fail —Sen Ali Ndume

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume represents Borno South Senatorial
District in the Red Chamber. He was the first Senate Leader of the
8th Senate but got replaced in January 2018 following the
consummation of intrigues within the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC).

On Monday, he submitted a letter of intent to contest the Senate
Presidency of the 9th Senate to the ruling party but was shocked
hours after when the leadership of the party announced his rival,
Senator Ahmed Lawan as the anointed one at a dinner held at the
Presidential Villa. In this chat with newsmen in Abuja, Ndume waxed
philosophical when he said that the anointing can only stand if it
is of God. He, however, declared that any attempt to impose leaders
on the emerging Assembly will fail.

He also advises the party to be wary of plying the route it took
in 2015 which led to the emergence of candidates other than the
anointed ones as Senate President and Speaker of the House of
Representatives. Group Politics Editor, Taiwo Adisa, presents the
excerpts:

Did the adoption of Lawan as consensus candidate by the
leadership of APC come to you as a surprise?

First of all, let me say that the decision by the party to
settle for an individual instead of zoning the position to a
particular geopolitical zone and also consulting or allowing the
senators from that zone to decide who among them they prefer as
Senate President, is a surprise. We were surprised on Monday night
when the National Chairman of our party told us a decision had been
taken to adopt Ahmad Lawan as candidate from the North East for the
position of the President of the Senate. The reason why I am
shocked and I am sure that is the feeling of my colleagues, is
that, the constitutional provision for the emergence of the
leadership of the Senate is clearly spelt out. Section 51 (a) of
the Constitution says that “there shall be a Senate President and
Deputy Senate President who shall be elected by members of the
House. “

Section 1 of the Constitution the clearly states that “this
Constitution is binding on all Nigerians and government agencies.”
It went further to say that any other law that contravenes the
provision of the Constitution is null and void. As a party that is
supposed to be democratic and as a government that insists on
allowing due process to prevail, this is strange. A candidate of
APC normally emerges by one of three means, namely- consensus,
indirect elections and direct primaries. As I said, such a decision
was taken and we were not given the chance to ask questions. We
were not allowed to make comments.

The President made his remarks and after that, the national
anthem was recited. Even the chosen candidate was not given the
chance to thank us or say something about it. Those of us that have
indicated interests were not consulted or given the chance to make
any comments. I left there with that shock, but I slept well
notwithstanding. I am one among equals. I am just one among 109
senators. I am not better than them. I came back and slept well. My
wife and children were worried about my feelings. I was even late
for the prayers in the morning.

I try my best in everything I do and I leave the rest to God. I
am now leaving this to God and those who elected me. I am going
home to consult with elders who gathered themselves and asked me to
contest. I will consult with them and then take a final decision.
The party has taken a decision. I ultimately wait on the decision
of Almighty God and to my colleagues. That is what I will say for
now.

Explain what you mean by waiting on your colleagues to decide your
fate, sir ?

You should not be confused. The constitution is clear. It says
the Senate shall elect its president and deputy. Like I said, my
decision to contest for the position of the Senate President is not
personal. Even my colleagues encouraged me to run. Not just the
elected ones. They said I should vie for the position. Even then,
the party didn’t say it had elected Ahmad Lawan. It only said it
has nominated Lawan. The way the leadership of the National
Assembly should emerge is clearly stated. Anything contrary to that
means it is illegal and it can’t stand. As I said, we wait on
God.

You said somewhere that if the party decides to impose someone on
the National Assembly, it will backfire and there will be crisis .
Are you standing by that claim?

I am not the one saying this. It is the decision of my
colleagues. I am one of those offering themselves to contest for
the position. I can’t even nominate myself. Someone has to nominate
and second me. I can’t say that a candidate has been imposed on us.
The decision is now left for my colleagues. If you look at the
history of the National Assembly, such decisions have never gone
down well. In 1999, Evans Ewerem was imposed. He didn’t last.
Wabara was also imposed. He also didn’t last. After that, the PDP
which we have accused of impunity didn’t do this. In 2007, the PDP
showed wisdom by zoning the position to North Central. That was
what led to the contest between David Mark and George Akume.
Because that happened, Mark served for two terms. Mark would have
served for another term if PDP had won. He served his tenure
peacefully.

Any leadership of the National Assembly that emerges through the
support of members, it lasts. Patricia Etteh was imposed on us. She
didn’t last. Mulikat(Adeola-Akande) was supposed to be imposed on
us. She wouldn’t have lasted. The House of Representatives rebelled
against Gbajabiamila in 2015 and he was rejected. The same thing
happened to Lawan in the Senate. These things happened because of
the way the party managed it. What happened on Monday night has
showed that the party has not learnt anything. Rather, it has
worsened it. My prayer is that, the Senate should be what it is
supposed to be – independent.

I feel pained that even in small places, you don’t impose
leaders on children. They have their natural way of choosing their
own. In fact, in traditional institutions where kings emerge, they
are elected. There are kingmakers. In our case, senators are the
kingmakers. Who owns the loyalty on behalf of the beneficiaries? Is
it senators or Adams Oshiomhole? We were shocked, but God has the
final say. In my religion, God says He is the one who knows to give
power to. In Islam, God said He will give power to whoever He
wills. God will make His decision.

Are you saying in clear terms that you will contest against the
decision of your party?

I said I will consult. My decision to contest wasn’t personal. I
have a vision for the Senate. The Senate is drifting to a point
where it will not serve the interest of this country. The Senate is
supposed to be an institution of 109 people with three from each
state. They are mature people. To say it mildly, it is not fair to
see someone who is supposed to be a leader to being appointed a
leader for leaders. In the Senate, the Senate President is supposed
to be first among equals. He is the Senate President and not
senators’ President.

I think the country needs a Senate President that that can lead.
We need a president that will represent the interest of Nigerians.
Like you know, zoning is not in the Constitution. The purpose of
zoning is to enhance what the Constitution says, which is equity
and justice in what the government does. That is why the party will
say if the President is from the North West and his vice is from
South West, the Senate President should come from the North
East.

We are supposed to be given the chance to elect our president
since it has been zoned. Allow senators from the North East to
decide and consult on who they want. I wrote to the party that I
wanted to run. I deserve that honour to be invited and told not to
contest for the position. I wasn’t given that honour . I was
thinking that since Lawan has indicated his interest and Goje is
also indicating his interest, as well as Adamu Abdullahi, we were
supposed to be consulted. We deserve that respect and honour . They
will say yes, you are qualified to be Senate President, but for
some reasons, this person should be supported.

Alternatively, you can tell us to contest and get back. You tell
the four of us to sit down and decide on who we want. That is
better. The President emerged through a democratic process. When
the position was zoned to the North, he reluctantly contested.
Kwakwanso, Atiku and others wanted to contest. But because zoning
doesn’t matter, Okorocha contested. Buhari emerged as our
candidate. Other candidates worked for his victory. In his second
term, he contested for the presidency even as an incumbent.

Other people bought forms and they were not denied. Even after
he turned out to be a consensus candidate, we still went to polling
units. We came to Abuja to affirm his candidacy. Mr. President had
to submit himself to the electorate to emerge. Mr. President went
to every state to campaign. The votes we gave to the President
during the affirmation turned out to be almost the same votes he
got during the elections.

I am not desperate. I remain committed to the ideals and
principles of President Muhammadu Buhari because he has been my
mentor. I don’t have a godfather, but I am a party loyalist. When I
was elected as Senate Leader, when the Senate President wanted to
do some things to the President, I stood against that. I lost my
position as Senate Leader. I raised an issue against Saraki’s Range
Rover and Melaye’s certificate. I was suspended. I moved against
the Electoral Act which was not in the interest of my party. I have
been standing and I will continue to stand for what is right.

At the meeting, Oshiomhole just threw it to us that Lawan will
be the Senate President. I don’t believe that it is the position of
Mr. President. Before I joined this race, I consulted with Mr.
President. He gave me the go ahead. I consulted with Tinubu and he
gave me the go ahead. That was immediately after the primaries,
before the elections. I did that to avoid what happened in the past
when Tinubu told me that I came late. I have respect for the
President and Tinubu. But I am 60 years old. I stand for truth and
I do what is right.

Have you met with your colleagues over what happened on Monday
night?

We are not planning anything yet. We are all in shock. I am
going to consult right away. I will consult with my colleagues on
the way forward. Most importantly, I will consult with God because
He is the one that ultimately gives power.

Culled tribuneonlineng