Niger senator to declare Senate Presidency ambition Tuesday

The Senator representing Niger-East, Sani Musa, is set to openly declare his ambition for the Senate Presidency seat, The PUNCH learnt.

Although he has remained silent on the issue, Senator Musa’s name has continued to surface on the list of those vying for the leadership in the 10th National Assembly.

He would officially join the Senate presidency race on Tuesday, according to sources close to the senator.

One of the sources said, “Senator Sani Musa would officially declare his ambitions to run for the position of the Senate President on Tuesday but he is willing to opt for the Deputy Senate President if need be.

“He has been making consultation and he is disposed to either the Senate president or the Deputy Senate President seat based on the zoning arrangement of the party which will soon be out.”

Meanwhile, the lawmaker on Monday expressed his willingness to sacrifice his ambition in the interest of unity and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

He said he would reconsider and contend the position of the Deputy Senate President if a competent Christian aspirant who is running for the office of Senate President convinced him to step down with genuine reasons.

He described Nigeria as a secular nation and stressed the need to ensure a balance between the two main religions in the country.

He noted that the tension that heralded the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate and his running mate should be avoided in the race for the senate presidency.

In the current arrangement, The APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; and the Vice President-Elect, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims.

Musa said, “For the exigencies of our time, looking at the volatile situation of what has generated the Muslim-Muslim ticket in this country, I am one person that believes in the secularity of one Nigeria.

“I am one person that believes that, for every reason, there should be give and take in this country.

“We have lived with both Christians and Muslims. Some of us still have relatives that are still Christians and Muslims.

“We have lived in a society where there’s intermarriage; we have lived for so long. Our forefathers envisaged a country where we would all live together.”

He added, “I will not have any problem seeing a qualified, competent personality like me in the Senate who has also presented himself for the office of the Senate President and asked me please to drop my ambition for him; I will do it.”

The Niger senator said that in case where he had to relinquish the senate-presidency seat, he would opt for the position of Deputy Senate President.

He said, “There is a position of Deputy Senate President, which also is a presiding officer in the National Assembly. I will be willing to do it if it’s going to be in the best interest of Nigerians and if it’s going to be in the best interest of the zone I am going to represent.”

“There’s no commitment or sacrifice too much to make to keep the unity this country deserves,” he added.

Musa, however, said the fact that the APC Chairman is from the same geopolitical zone as he does not affect his emergence as a Presiding Officer of the red chamber.

He said also his personal relationship with the incumbent Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, could not affect his aspiration if the Yobe Senator decided to seek a second term in office.

Musa said, “My aspiration has nothing to do with my personal relationship with anybody in the Senate. I am here to represent my constituency. By virtue of my aspiration, I am to represent the North Central.

“My relationship with the Senate President is a respected one. I respect him and I will continue to respect him.

“He has led the National Assembly and he did very well. If the Senate President is zoned to the North Central, he will support me because I am also supporting his as the current Senate President.”

Meanwhile, the Senator-elect for Imo North senatorial district, Patrick Ndubueze, has also joined the race for the 10th Assembly leadership.

Ndubueze who is a first-time senator is also seeking to contest for the Senate Presidency.

Ndubueze is a first-time senator and he was once a member of the House of Representatives before Late Major General Sani Abacha cut short his tenure via a coup.

“Senator Ndubueze is already in the race. Not all who’ve declared are contenders; they’re several other prospects working in the background.

“He’s been told to do extensive consultations and lobbying by the leader of the South East. That’s a more viable strategy for accessing his chances. And he’s done out. He was advised told not to jump out like other senators but he has continued to do a lot of work in the background.

“As it is now, there are three major contenders for the Senate Presidency in the South East, Orji Kalu ( Abia North); Osita Izunaso (Imo West) and Ndubueze ( Imo North) are the major contenders in the race,” a source told our correspondent.

When asked of the Ndubueze’s likely chances as a first-time senator, the source said that he was also a ranking senator as he had once been in the National Assembly.

The source added, “Both Kalu and Ndubueze got into the National Assembly in 1992. As a matter of fact, Ndubueze was the chairman of the Works and Housing committee then while Kalu was a member.

“Of course, being in the Senate as a chief whip gives him some political clout but it’s not a determinant factor or an exclusive pointer for him to clinch the Senate presidency.”

Other ranking senators who are eying the position, are Jibrin Barau; Orji Kalu (Abia North); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Ahmad Lawan (Yobe); and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi).