Ndume defies Buhari, Oshiomhole on Senate presidency, unfolds nine-point agenda

A former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, on Tuesday dared the leaders
of the All Progressives Congress, including President Muhammadu
Buhari, and the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, by unfolding
his agenda as a candidate for the Senate presidency in the ninth
National Assembly.

The party leadership had last week endorsed the Senate Leader,
Ahmad Lawan, as the Senate president.

But on Tuesday, despite the stand of the party, Ndume went ahead
to unveil his nine-point agenda if elected as the next Senate
president on June 9.

The Borno South senator in a document, a copy of which was made
available to one of our correspondents in Abuja, promised to
improve upon the performance of the 8th Senate.

He also pledged to make the office of the Senate President less
attractive by reducing the unnecessary privileges attached to
it.

The former Senate majority leader pledged to uphold the
independence of the legislature and expressed his willingness to
“work harmoniously and inter-dependently with the executive without
undermining the principle of separation of powers.”

Ndume said he would prioritise and ensure the passage of the
Constituency Development Bill to make “constituency projects more
transparent, accountable, efficient and effective.”

He said the Senate would agree on timelines for confirmation,
passage of bills especially the annual budgets, which he said,
would not exceed 90 days from the day of submission.

Ndume added, “We will make laws that will block leakages devise
improved means of generating revenue, especially through the
amendment and review of our tax laws which will help to reduce
reliance on local and foreign loans to finance budget.

“We will run the 9th Senate transparently, through open
accountability with full participation of all senators .For
example, we will transfer the approving powers of the privileges of
the senators like foreign travels, allowances to Senate services
committee or a new committee to be known as “ways and means
committee.”

He also said that his presidency would uphold the party’s
principles and policies and that the Senate under him would make
laws and review existing ones in tandem with the APC’s Next Level
agenda for Nigeria.

Recall that the APC national chairman, had at a meeting with the
House of Representatives members-elect last week, said the party
had endorsed Lawan as the Senate president.

But Ndume in his reaction said Oshiomhole unilaterally picked
Lawan without the backing of the party.

The spokesman for the APC, Lanre Isa-Onilu, however, faulted
Ndume, saying, “The ticket he (Ndume) is holding belongs to the APC
and he cannot go and work with the opposition to give what belongs
to the APC to the opposition, like it happened in 2015 when the
position of the Deputy Senate President was given to the opposition
by some desperate former members of the APC.

“Ndume will be wrong to be calling out the party’s national
chairman. The national chairman spoke on behalf of the party. And
when we talk of the party in this instance, it is not just about
the NWC.

“The President (Muhammadu Buhari) was there when he said it. He
did not say anything that the President was not aware of. He did
not say anything that the leaders of the APC are not already part
of.”