The Senate on Thursday adjourned sine die just as
91 senators have thrown their weight behind Senate President, David
Mark; his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to lead the upper chamber in the next
four years.
The Senate is expected to elect its President and the Deputy President on Monday when the Seventh National Assembly will be inaugurated.
The caucuses of the six geo-political zones in the Senate took their turns to declare their positions on Thursday as they all expressed support for Mark’s candidature.
At a joint press conference of the caucuses, Coordinator of Mark’s campaign, Senator Smart Adeyemi, said 91 senators-elect, out of 109, had signed a document endorsing Mark and Ekweremadu for the leadership of the Senate.
He said Mark would run on Monday as the sole candidate for the President of the Senate, as no other person indicated interest in the office.
He also noted that more senators-elect would sign up for Mark’s candidature before Monday and the figures would be made available to the media.
Senator Ahmed Lawan, who coordinates the campaign in the North-East, said nearly all the senators-elect in the zone had already expressed their support for the Senate President. He however noted that former Governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje could not be reached for his position, but that there was no indication that he had any interest in becoming the President of the Senate.
Goje, later in a statement, said he never officially declared his interest in the Senate presidency. He said, based on the recent amendment of the Standing Order on the ranking of senators, he would not be able to contest.
Senator-elect representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Sha’aba Lafiagi, said he was in touch with another Kwara senator-elect and former governor, Bukola Saraki, and that he was not interested in in vying for the position of Senate President.
He said Saraki’s alleged aspiration was a creation of the media as he had already expressed his support for Mark.
Senator Zainab Kure, who is Mark’s coordinator in the North-Central, said there would be no other contender for the office when the election would be held on Monday.
“I can assure you that only Mark will be the candidate for the office on Monday. We have already 91 senators and you know majority carries the day and the 91 senators-elect, it almost a done deal,” she said.
She also noted that only one senator-elect did not sign to support Mark in the North-Central, but that the senator-elects endorsement would come in later.
By Oluwole Josiah, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
The Senate is expected to elect its President and the Deputy President on Monday when the Seventh National Assembly will be inaugurated.
The caucuses of the six geo-political zones in the Senate took their turns to declare their positions on Thursday as they all expressed support for Mark’s candidature.
At a joint press conference of the caucuses, Coordinator of Mark’s campaign, Senator Smart Adeyemi, said 91 senators-elect, out of 109, had signed a document endorsing Mark and Ekweremadu for the leadership of the Senate.
He said Mark would run on Monday as the sole candidate for the President of the Senate, as no other person indicated interest in the office.
He also noted that more senators-elect would sign up for Mark’s candidature before Monday and the figures would be made available to the media.
Senator Ahmed Lawan, who coordinates the campaign in the North-East, said nearly all the senators-elect in the zone had already expressed their support for the Senate President. He however noted that former Governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje could not be reached for his position, but that there was no indication that he had any interest in becoming the President of the Senate.
Goje, later in a statement, said he never officially declared his interest in the Senate presidency. He said, based on the recent amendment of the Standing Order on the ranking of senators, he would not be able to contest.
Senator-elect representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Sha’aba Lafiagi, said he was in touch with another Kwara senator-elect and former governor, Bukola Saraki, and that he was not interested in in vying for the position of Senate President.
He said Saraki’s alleged aspiration was a creation of the media as he had already expressed his support for Mark.
Senator Zainab Kure, who is Mark’s coordinator in the North-Central, said there would be no other contender for the office when the election would be held on Monday.
“I can assure you that only Mark will be the candidate for the office on Monday. We have already 91 senators and you know majority carries the day and the 91 senators-elect, it almost a done deal,” she said.
She also noted that only one senator-elect did not sign to support Mark in the North-Central, but that the senator-elects endorsement would come in later.
By Oluwole Josiah, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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