Senate presidency: PDP plots to return Mark
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is plotting to return Senate President David Mark to his position in the next Assembly, Daily Trust gathered in Abuja yesterday.
Sources in the PDP told Daily Trust that the party has planned to ensure that Mark is re-elected as president of the Senate for the third consecutive time when the 8th Assembly is inaugurated next month.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dislodged the PDP as the majority party in the National Assembly following its victory at the March 28 parliamentary elections.
However, the APC lacked the two-third majority of the 109 senators. The APC has 60 elected senators while the PDP has 49.
Only 56 votes are required to produce the president of the Senate. Already, five APC senators, namely, Ahmad Lawan (Yobe), Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno), Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Abubakar Bukola Saraki (Kwara) and George Akume (Benue) have signified interest for the number three position.
The sources said that in the event where the APC senators split their votes, the PDP planned to get its senators to vote for Mark as president of the Senate.
"We are also reaching out to some friendly APC senators so that we get more votes during the election," one of the sources, a PDP senator, said. Leadership of the APC has not yet zoned positions in the National Assembly but sources said that the lawmakers may not abide by the zoning arrangement as some of them have gone far in their campaigns for offices. If elected, Mark will be the first Nigerian to be elected as president of the Senate for three consecutive times and the first from the opposition political party to hold the seat, which many say may be a major setback for the APC.
Outgoing Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, last week, said there was no law in the Constitution excluding members of the PDP from running for positions in the next Assembly.
Speaking while delivering a paper titled: "Majority and Minority Parties in the Legislature: Party Defection (Cross-carpeting in the Legislature)", at the induction course for legislators-elect of the 8th National Assembly at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Ndoma-Egba argued that the Constitution was silent on the issue of which political party should produce the president of the Senate.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Sola Saraki Educational Foundation Tsaragi International Public Sector Accounting Standards Oyelere Oyinloye Saliu Mustapha Mope Dasuki Belgore Ilorin Durbar Umar Adelodun Nigeria Governors\' Forum Yahaya Seriki Gambari Jare Olatundun Hakeem Idris Oke-Odo Omoniyi Council Of The Wise Alabere Olaosebikan Amoyo Valsolar-Kwara Company Limited N-Power Abiodun Oyedepo Binta Abubakar Mora ARMTI Yaman Kwara State Pension Board Atunwa Mohammed Yahaya Barki New Nigeria People’s Party Okala Baba Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi Offa Descendants Union Daud Adeshola Oloruntoyosi Thomas Ahmad Belgore Kupchi Hosea Maxwell Onilupeju Of Ilupeju Baaziki Sulaiman Olaiya Zuberu Agor Market Kisra Ayedun KWASAA Babaita Shuaibu Yaman Bola Ahmed Tinubu Abdulrosheed Okiki Gobir Jani Ibrahim Yusuf Ibitokun Sherifat Bolaji Abdullahi Aisha Abodunrin Ibrahim Ibrahim Abiodun Zara Umar Muhammed Abdullahi Abdullahi Adisa Akodudu Ayobami Seriki Sidikat Uthman Ajibola Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa Olanrewju Okanlawon Musa Bello Oyedepo Ebola Folashade Omoniyi Bayo Ajia Tanke Flyover Bridge Bashiru Makama Okin Malt Dasuki Belgore Baboko Tunde Saad Katibi Ibraheem Adeola Olomu Abikan Toyin Abdullahi Kwara Volleyball Association Sheikh Alimi Salaudeen Oyewale Saidu Kawu

