By Suleiman Umaru
When Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and the President-elect on the platform of the ruling All progressive Congress, APC, said he will follow the legacy of the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, who is counting days in office, not many people took him serious.
Even when the President-elect had promised’’ to be fair to be all after he is sworn in on May 29, 2023, by Justice Olukayode Ariwola, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN that he will fulfill all the political promises made, but pundits fear that having given his words to continue with the legacies of the Katsina state born Nigerian President, he may not favour the south east geopolitical region in the allocation of offices in the new government because of their poor support to the party in the last Presidential election.
The allocation of positions to the regions in the National Assembly may likely be based on their support to the ruling All progressive Congress, APC, in the last Presidential election.The message was very clear to the people of the regions that allocation of political offices and appointment into non-elective offices would be based on the support given to the party during the February 25, 2023, Presidential election.
There is no gain saying the fact that the south east geopolitical region, had massively supported Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state and Candidate of the Labour Party, LP. With the emergence of Tinubu of the ruling APC, as the President-elect, the Nigerian President had told the Commonwealth Leaders on Friday, May 5, 2023, that ‘’democracy is maturing Because of the conduct of the elections’’ .
Given that the elections has come and gone and now time to share political offices , including the Leadership positions in the National Assembly, may have informed why Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia state and Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of the south south state of Akwa Ibom and immediate past minister of the Niger Delta described as the two frontrunners , jostling for the position of the Senate President, the third most powerful position in Nigerian political system, after the President and Vice President are using their contacts in the Presidency to win Buhari’s support.
Kalu, had repeatedly told those that care s to listen that ‘’it was his turn to become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 10th Senate, being a ranking Lawmaker and from the south east’’,stressing that that ‘’if elected , his first name will be Team Nigeria’’ having started his business in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve center which had spread to other states of the Federation’’.
Indeed, there have been lobbying from various groups, both within and outside the country that the position of the Senate President should be reserved for the South east region but the thinking of the APC, Leadership, particular, Buhari, and Abdullahi Adamu, the party National Chairman, including Tinubu, the President –elect may be different.
Although, the outgoing Nigerian President may not come out to endorse any Senator- elect to be the next hallowed Chamber President but he appears to be using his foot soldiers which include Abdullahi Gandunje, the outgoing governor of Kano state to mobilize support for Akpabio, a ranking Senator, to be the next occupant of the exalted position of the Senate President after Senator Ahmad Lawan, whose tenure expires next June, after the proclamation of the 10th National Assembly.
The outgoing Kano state governor may have spoken the Nigerian President’s mind when he endorsed the former Niger Delta minister, to be the next Senate President during a courtesy visit to Ben Ayade , a Professor and his Cross river state Counterpart .The governor was said to have been accompanied on the visit to his Cross river Counterpart Prof. Ayade by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the President Chief of Staff, which political analysts believe has the ear of the President.
Until Gov. Gandunje, became one of the foot soldiers of Buhari , to prepare the ground for the election of Senator Akpabio, his political ally, as Senate President in the 10th National Assembly, he had teamed up with Nasir Eel-Rufai, a former minister of Federal Capital Territory, FC, during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and now governor of Kaduna state, Yahaya Bello, Kogi , Bello Matawalle, Zamfara and other aggrieved APC, governors to drag the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the cashless and naira swap policy .
He may have sent a message to Kalu, the former Abia state governor to drop his ambition of being the next Senate President, noting that the decision ‘’ to nominate Akabio, the former Akwa Ibom state governor was already a done deal’
Nothwithstanding the party Leadership position on who should be the next Senate President, Senator Kalu, has refused to read the handwriting on the wall that he will never get elected as the Senate President This is because more than half of the Senators-elect, across political- divide were said to have already endorsed the Candidature of Akapbio, to occupy the office of the Senate President.
Indeed, Party Chieftains had expected the ranking Senator Kalu to step down from the race and support Akpabio but he had refused to do so riding on the political morality that for ‘’balancing of fairness, Justice and equity, the office of the Senate President should be conceded to the south east’’ a decision that could have comfortably placed him at advantage.
The Kano state outgoing governor may have spoken with a tone of finality when he said that ‘’the next Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the 10th National Assembly , will come from the south-south geopolitical region and it is no other person than Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa Ibom’’.
He could speak Authoritatively because the APC Leadership have resolved that ”the uncommon governor, uncommon minister who is going to be the uncommon President of the Senate, will be elected on the D-Day”, going by the level of work that had been done for him by ensuring that he will get the block votes of the 59 Senator’s elect on the Platform of the APC. This may have seen the selection of the former Akwa Ibom state governor as ‘’the hand of Buhari and the voice of Tinubu’’.
An Appreciative Prof. Ayade, had lauded the APC leadership, for zoning the Senate President to the south-south and to the neighbouring state of Akwa Ibom to be given to Senator Akpabio.
Tinubu, the President-elect, may have known that the position of the Senate President is central to the success of his Administration that he needed to support a Candidate who would not pose as a threat to his Administration. The recent two-day visit to Rivers state, on the invitation of Nyensom Wike, the state, governor to Commission a flyover project speaks volume.
The President-elect may have used one stone to kill two birds as he was said to have taken advantage of the visit to hold further Consultations with party Chieftains with him including Wike to endorse Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom state as the next President.
Political analysts believe that Senator Akpabio would have a big task at hand : how to reduce the running cost of running the government, particular, the heavy allowances of he Lawmakers. Nigerians would want his him to reduce Senators annual pay of $2,183,685 compared to the North American countr of the United States, US $174,0000, Saudi Arabia $64,0000 and Germany $119,500 per annum.
This is in addition to the heavy allowances, ranging from hardship allowance of N1,242,122.70, Constituency Allowance, N4,968,509.00, Nwspapers allowance, N1,242,122.70, Wardrobe allowance of N621,061.37, Recess allowance N248,424.55 and Accommodation, N4,968,509.00.
Other allowances , collected by the Nigerian Senators, include Utilities, N 828,081.83, Dometic staff, N1,863, 184.12, Entertainment, N828,081.83, Personal Assistants N621,061.12, Vehicle Maintenance allowance, N1,863,184.12, Leave allowance, N248,,424.55, Severance gratuity, N7, 452,736.50, Car allowance, N9, 936,982.00, bringing their monthly salary to n N29,479,749 or N353,756,9888.00 per annum. Note that monthy salary and allowances of the National Asembly Leadership are higher. There are fears in bothofficial and unofficial circles, that Senator Akapbio, may not want want to tinker with the monthly salary or allowances of the Lawmakers to avoid playing into their hands but rather fight for an increase, in spite of the fact that the Nigerian economy would not accommodate such heavy Lawmakers salaris and allowances.
Note that the Rivers state, who has been hobnobbing with the President-elect, before and after the February 25, 2023, Presidential election, may have thrown his weight behind the former Niger Delta minister to be the next Senate President to ensure that I the position remains in the south-south region.
Given the importance attached to the Rivers state visit, Tinubu, was said to have been accompanied by by Femi Gbajabiamila, outgoing Speaker of House of Representatives, Gvernors Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Jigawa,S eyi Makinde Oyo, Engr. Dave Umahi, Ebonyi, Yahaya Bello, Kogi, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, , Kwara, and Hope Uzodinma, Imo, among others.
Wike may have taken advantage of the visit of the President – elect to the state to make a request that he should consider ‘’ refunding the money spent by the state government on all Federal projects in the state immediately after assuming office on May 29, 2023, but was disappointed at the response of Tinubu.
The former Lagos state governor who could not hide his feelings may have looked at Wike , eyeball to eyeball and told him that ‘’the government owed him nothing’’ , noting that ‘’the constructed Federal projects in the state are being used by the governor and people’’.
The response of the President-elect to the outgoing Rivers state governor’s request which was said to have been tacitly turned down by Tinubu may have given him another impression of the erstwhile governor of Lagos state that he is not be a push over, an indications he may find it difficult to penetrate him , let alone seeing him any time he wants as the door would be closed for him except if he is on appointment to the Villa.
