The adopted candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, emerged leaders of the Ninth National Assembly.
The party successfully averted a repeat of what happened in 2015 when its adopted candidates lost to former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and immediate past House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara. This time, immediate past Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North, who was also the party’s adopted candidate in 2015 emerged victorious.
Yesterday, he polled 79 votes to defeat former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South to emerge as President of the Ninth Senate. Ndume polled 28 votes.
Also, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, the APC’s speakership candidate in 2015, won this time. He polled 283 votes to beat Mr. Mohammed Bago, who got 76 votes. For the post of the deputy speaker, Mr. Idris Wase emerged unopposed. Similarly, Senator Ovie Omo- Agege, APC, Delta Central, scored 68 votes to defeat the immediate past Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu to emerge as the Deputy Senate President. Ekweremadu polled 37 votes while one Senator elect abstained, one vote was invalid. Ekweremadu’s belated entry into the DSP race caused initial ripples. Sources said the PDP’s hope of reaping from the divisions in the APC where it expected the APC to produce three contenders for the deputy senate presidency (Francis Alimikhena, Ovie Omo-Agege and Gaya went up in smoke as only Omo-Agege was nominated after the APC hierarchy got the other contenders to step down. The victory of the APC adopted candidates was in spite of the meetings held by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors and senators where they resolved to deliver block votes to Ndume and Mr. Mohammed Bago, who ran against Gbajabiamila. The Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Mohammed Sani Omolori, began the process by calling for nomination of candidates at 10.31am. Thereafter, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, APC, Kebbi North nominated Ahmad Lawan for the position of Senate President. Senator Abdullahi was seconded by Adeola Solomon Olamilekan, APC, Lagos West. The CNA then asked if there were further nominations and Senator Ali Ndume was nominated by Ishaku Abbo, PDP, Adamawa North and seconded by Barinada Npigi, PDP, Rivers South East. After the nominations, Lawan and Ndume addressed the Senators- elect on their plans for the Ninth Senate. At 10.54am, the open secret balloting election commenced. Announcing the result, the Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Mohammed Sani Omolori who declared Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan as the winner of the keenly contested election with 79 votes against 28 votes garnered by Ali Ndume, said that 107 Senators-elect voted. On the election of Lawan, Omolori said: “Today, June 11, 2019, 107 Senators-elect voted. I am happy to report that 107 Senators-elect cast their votes. This is the result: Senator Ahmad Lawan 79 votes; Senator Ali Ndume 28 votes.” “With this announcement, Senator Ahmad Lawan haven scored the highest votes is hereby elected and returns as the Senate President.”
After the declaration of the result, Senator Lawan took the oath of allegiance and office as he assumed the office of the 9th Senate President. Sequel to this, Senator Ndume was accompanied to Senator Lawan and they exchanged pleasantries.
In his acceptance speech after his inauguration and his colleagues, the newly elected Senate President, Ahmad Lawan promised that in the course of carrying out his assignment, he would be fair to everyone irrespective of party, political, and religious affiliation. Lawan, who noted that the Senate under his leadership would do justice to all, to ensure that it performed its role for the benefit of Nigerians, said, “elections are over. It shows that we voted for a united senate and it is clear that the outcome is bipartisan. “All parties including the Peoples Democratic Party and Young Progressives Party voted for me and with this outcome the Ninth Senate is ready to take off as a united senate. “Today means so many things. It is the commencement of another decade of our democracy and we will work to ensure best global parliamentary practice among other things.”
Lawan, who promised to ensure a secure and a prosperous future for all Nigerians, however assured that he would run a Senate that would be responsive to the needs of the masses whose mandate he said, they held in the Senate. The new Senate President called for the support of his colleagues to ensure a robust Senate, adding that, “we will not settle for anything less than the best. We will dream big, aim high and take good initiatives.” According to him, the agenda of the Ninth Senate would include improved Information Communication Technology (ICT), just as he said that they would work in collaboration with the Executive, to tackle cattle rustling, kidnapping and other crimes bedeviling the nation, “we will work with the executive for sustained pursuit of national ethical renewal.” Lawan, who noted that the Senate would address youth unemployment, high rate of suicide, depression, corruption, insecurity among others, said the upper chamber would work towards finding lasting solution to the disturbing educational challenges in the country, adding that it was embarrassing to have about 14 million out of school children. The Senate President, who allayed fears that the Senate under him would be subservient to the executive, said, “the Senate will be independent while working with the executive. We will choose unity of purpose instead of conflict.” Lawan who promised that he would ensure that Senate’s relationship with stakeholders including civil society organisations and the media were strengthened, said, “we must drive a transformative Senate dedicated to serving the people with confidence, courage and patriotism. “In doing so, we are convinced that our past was only a story told while our future can yet be written in gold.”
In his acceptance speech, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said it was time to move on. According to him,’’there is more to unite us than to divide us; there is much work to be done. We must remain one nation in freedom and unity.’’ Gbajabiamila pledged to carry out reforms in the House, stressing that it would not be business as usual. “We’ll be shaking the table just a little. The House must be reformed before the nation is reformed,” he said. To this end, he appointed former Speaker of Zamfara State House of Assembly, Sanusi Rikiji, as his Chief of Staff.
