Politics

10th NASS leadership: What role will history play?

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2 years ago

As the jostling for top leadership positions of the imminent tenth National Assembly gathers momentum, IMOLEAYO OYEDEYI examines the zonal considerations and whether history will repeat itself in the race for legislative top positions.

After every general election comes the festival of sharing the ‘spoils’ of election war. Politics, through the prism of Mao Zedong, is seen as war without bloodshed. And often, participants in the political festival in order to curry the favour of the chief priest before whom many genuflect, pour libations to various regional gods and ethnic warlords.

As it has been since the commencement of the current Fourth Republic in 1999, so it is up till now. There is still over a month to go before the tenth National Assembly will be composed, but the jostling for top leadership positions in the new assembly has continued to gather momentum.

According to the traditions and conventions of the legislative house, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is expected to produce the major leadership for both chambers, having garnered a clear majority of 219 seats out of 469 seats thus far.

It is on record that so far, no fewer than eight senators have indicated an interest in the top leadership positions of the 10th NASS, with some of the big contenders for Senate presidency being Senators JibrinBarau (Kano Central), Sani Musa (Niger East), Ali Ndume (Borno South) Orji Kalu (Abia North), and GodswillAkpabio (Akwa-Ibom North West).

Others include Senators OsitaIzunaso (Imo West), Patrick Ndubueze (Imo North), Abdul’AzizYari (Zamfara West), and Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), Governor Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South), Adams Oshiomole (Edo North) amongst others.

It has been said that there is no laid down constitutional formulae on how the top leadership positions in the National Assembly should be composed. But Section 50 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) states that “a President and a Deputy President of the Senate shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves,” while Section 50 (1) (b) of the same constitution states that “a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.”

Though the constitution is silent on the role of the party and its supremacy as well as the role of the ‘executive’ branch on the matter, it is generally believed that the ruling party will likely determine who becomes what in the next 10th NASS leadership.

With this, there have been consistent calls from different parts of the country that the positions should be effectively zoned by the APC in such a way that it will reflect the national character as well as the religious and ethnic diversity of the country.

Holders of this position have claimed that since the president is from the South-West and his Vice president is from the North-East, the South-South or South-East should be compensated with the Senate Presidency, while the North-West, which constitutes the largest voting bloc and North Central should be considered for the post of the Speaker.

But some other observers have also argued that the need for competence, experience, and capacity should be prioritised ahead of religious and ethnic tendencies when considering which candidates should be given the top NASS leadership positions.

Those in this school of thought premise their argument on the fact that the performance and composition of the legislature will always shape and determine the success or failure of the executive arm of the government.

Commenting on this, one of the contenders, Senator Ndume, said: “The issue should be about fairness, equity, and Justice. Zoning is a word that is being used for zoning but fairness, equity and justice are what the Constitution preaches and it is the right thing to do.

“When defining the best, you have to look at competence, experience, position, and pedigree of the person involved.”

“Being there for a long time and knowing the ropes, all I am saying is that somebody that has the institution at heart and that would protect the inters of the institution,” Ndume reportedly said.

Also speaking, Senator Barau in his campaign, said, “It is stated there in our standing rules that aspirations of elections for the seat of the Senate Presidency shall be in accordance with ranking. Among those who are running for the seat of the Senate Presidency, I am the most ranked senator.

“So, it’s constitutional and among those who are showing their intentions to run for the Senate Presidency, I am the most experienced.

The issue is that of competence. You need to be grounded, in the residue of the legislature before you become the Senate Presidency. Do you now play against competence based on sentiments?”

One of the big contenders from the South-East extraction, Kalu in his defence said, “The question is whether I will run for the position of Senate President. Yes, I am ready to run for Senate President if the party zones it to my zone because the party is supreme.

“The party should zone it to Igbere in my ward because I am the only Senator from there.”

He added, “Let me be honest with you, if we practice true democracy I should not be in contest with anybody in this position. Because apart from the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Deputy Senate President OvieOmo-Agege, and the Senate Leader Ibrahim Gobir, I am the highest ranking member of the Senate; there is no senator that would come up because in a proper democratic position you take by ranking and I am the highest ranking not by years I have stayed in the Senate, but by the position I occupy today.”

But according to DakukuPeterside, a former member of the House of Representatives, for the National Assembly to play its role as a driver of democracy, much importance must be placed on the quality of its leadership and membership.

The ex-lawmaker noted that “The summation of the quality and character of individual legislature members provides the total quality and nature of the National Assembly. Therefore, the quest for an excellent National Assembly starts with the selection and election of candidates. The practice where the Senate was the dumping ground for former governors and high political figures without consideration for the character and quality of the individuals assaulted the Senate’s virility figuratively and turned it into almost a retirement home for politicians tired of playing local politics at their home states.”

“The search for equity and fairness must uphold the need for quality leadership of the 10th NASS. Otherwise, this may undermine the output and the impact of the 10th Assembly. This Assembly presents a rare opportunity for the legislative institution to reassert itself as the pillar of democracy and earn public trust. And this must start with the quality of leaders’ legislators elected in June. In addition to our sensitivities, merit must be the highest consideration. NASS should use the election of its leadership to show the public that it is not business as usual and that the focus has shifted to meritocracy.”

According to the Senate Spokesperson, AjibolaBashiru, the ruling APC leadership, and lawmakers will consider many variables to arrive at electing presiding officers for the 10th National Assembly.

This is as he also said the APC would decide on a zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th assembly at the end of the ongoing Ramadan fast or before June 2023.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily during the week, Bashiru said, “The leadership of the party, as well as the members of the 10th Assembly, will have to look at so many variables.

“For instance, arguments may be canvassed like the religious argument that the President is a Muslim, the Vice-President is a Muslim, will it not be reasonable to have a Christian as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and you cannot which away such argument particularly when you see the divisive nature that politics has taken in recent time in Nigeria.

“You may also look at the North-West (geopolitical zone) which has produced the bulk of the votes by which we won the Presidency. Will you discountenance their contribution?”

On the party decision for zoning, the Senate spokesperson said, “I believe that our party will ultimately take a decision on the zoning possibly after Ramadan and certainly before June when the next Assembly will be convoked.”

Zonal considerations and past NASS leadership

But beyond the calls for zoning as well as political and religious balancing of the next federal government, it is expedient to take a close review of what has been the template that the political leadership structure of the country has been taking since 1999.

It will be recalled that since the beginning of the current democratic experiment in 1999, the country has had about nine senate presidents, five of which came from the South-East zone. During the same period, there have been eight Speakers of the House of Representatives, which have been equally shared by five geopolitical zones of the country, except the South-East.

Between 1999 and 2007, when the South-West had the presidency, the North-East produced the vice-president. During that period of eight years, there were about five senate presidents and they all came from the South-East, but the speakership position was held by three people, who all came from the North West.

In the subsequent government presided over by the duo of late UmaruYar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2007 and 2015, former Senator David Mark from the North Central held the senate presidency like a colossus. And the South-East again held the Deputy Senate President position, while the South-West (DimejiBankole) and North-West again held the Speakership positions.

The current president of the country, MuhammaduBuhari is from the North-Western part of the country. And between 2015 and now, Senator Ahmed Lawan from the Yobe State in the North-East part of the country has been holding the Senate presidency, while the Speaker of the House of Representatives has been from the South-West.

All in all, only the South-South hasn’t had a shot at any of the leadership positions in the legislative arms of the country, making the zone a strong contender for the exalted position of Senate president. But will the leadership of the ruling APC consider this and swing the zoning in favour of the zone? Or will it consider the South East to strengthen the party in the zone? Whatever APC does, the president-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, holds the ace. He is the one the leadership will work with and will definitely show more than passing interest in who gets what at the 10th National Assembly.

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