NASS LEADERSHIP: Senators-elect task Buhari, APC to avoid the ‘Saraki mistake’

Senators elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have pledged to work with the Presidency and the party in the selection of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly.

They however tasked President Muhammadu Buhari on the need for an early directive ahead of the forthcoming inauguration slated for June, 2019.

According to Bamidele Opeyemi, one of the elected Senators, caution should be observed in the selection process to avoid any potential backlash.

Recall that the presidency and the leadership of the APC were at loggerheads with the Senate president Bukola Saraki in the part of the present administration.

The party was dissatisfied with the emergence of Saraki, who was then in the APC, and Ike Ekweremadu, an opposition senator, as Senate president and deputy Senate president respectively, and did all they could to impeach them.

The situation created a lot of friction between the federal legislature on one side, and the presidency and APC leadership on the other.

But speaking at the International Conference Centre, venue for the collection of certificates or return, Opeyemi called on the Presidency to manage whatever process it’s going to use for emergence of leadership at both chambers this time around.

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“The calibre and character of personalities elected for the ninth Senate are very solid and promising for the country but leadership is key, hence the leadership of the ruling party must manage well, whatever process it’s going to use for emergence of leadership at both chambers this time around.

“Once this is done, the party and in particular, the National Assembly and the presidency will be on the same page on development-driven bills sponsorship, policy formulations and approval,” he said.

In a similar vein, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC Niger North) said lessons learnt from the leadership squabbles of the 8th National Assembly would be used to checkmate any possible leadership crisis.

“I was a key player in the leadership configuration of the eighth Senate and the attendant crises that followed. As one of the 43 returnees, the lessons learnt will be used to prevent the mistakes of the past from happening,” he said.

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