By Farouk Muhammed

TUSSLES over leadership succession at the National Assembly are becoming messy, and the emergent Tinubu/Shettima government, which wants to “hit the ground running”, must avoid starting off with a factionalised and uncooperative NASS leadership.

Undoubtedly, the president-elect has, over the decades, established himself as a visionary, focused, committed, patriotic, and relatively fair-minded political icon with incredible public relations and human capital development abilities. While deploying these positive attributes and his political wisdom, the president-elect should, in collaboration with the APC leadership, allow and support the NASS to elect its leaders. Such consideration would obviate the schisms and attendant distractions that may emanate as a consequence of the imposition of leadership that the legislators-elect do not support. 

It bears recalling that prior to the APC presidential primary, the contest seemed open until some Northern governors insisted that, in the interest of equity and fairness, the party’s presidential ticket should be zoned to Southern Nigeria. Eventually, the Jagaban of Borgu won the ticket by a landslide and went on to win the presidential election to become the president-elect. Reflecting on that scenario, many Nigerians believe that, at the end of the day, the president-elect will do the right thing by supporting NASS to elect its leaders.  

Draining the swamp: The eyes of Nigerians are more on the Senate because it is the legislative arm that has the constitutional power of approving or rejecting the Nigerian President’s key nominees like ministers, ambassadors, and heads of certain statutory agencies, including the EFCC, INEC, and others. Nigerians expect the incoming president to “drain the swamp” by dissolving the boards of scores of federal agencies, including statutory boards whose heads had their respective tenures renewed recently. The new president should bring in mostly new hands as chairmen and board members that would be loyal and key into his programmes of rekindling the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians. Which is why the incoming president will need a Senate president who, though not a rubber stamp, will guide the Senate to play very positive roles in the best interest of the country. 

Next Senate president: Just like what happened prior to the APC presidential primary, about 10 returning and new senators-elect from five geo-political zones (excluding the South-West) indicated interest in contesting for the position of president of the 10th Senate. If the contest were to be left wide open, it can be safely argued that, for obvious reasons, ranking senator Barau Jibrin (North West) will become the president of the 10th Senate. Although the matter has not been resolved, it seems the Senate president’s seat will likely be zoned to the South. 

In that case, the South-East will gain the upper hand, as most senators-elect believe that, in the interest of equity and fairness, a Southern Christian senator should become the next Senate president. The senators-elect reportedly add that, all factors considered, the majority of them prefer Senator Orji Uzor Kalu over any other contestant from the South. 

But is Senator Kalu equal to the task, and how are his capabilities, experience, qualifications, team and leadership spirit, mutual respect with senator-colleagues, and so on? 

Who really is OUK?  He is an astute politician, successful private sector guru, entrepreneur par excellence, high-level national and international investor, and publisher. 

In 2019, he was elected APC senator for Abia North Senatorial District, was re-elected in 2023, and is Chief Whip of the current ninth Senate. OUK is a very experienced and respected politician and was elected for two consecutive terms as governor of Abia State. A high profile member of the ruling APC and ranking senator, he has a full grasp of the twists and turns of Nigerian politics and has mastered the slippery slope of the country’s political environment.

Sen. Kalu remains a detribalised builder and sustainer of bridges across Nigeria. Apart from Abia State, any part of Nigeria is home to Uzor Kalu. Just as he does across Nigeria, OUK walks and works across the aisles in the Senate to promote understanding, peace, development, and growth in Nigeria, anchored on mutual respect. Consequently, as a ranking senator and Senate chief whip, he enjoys the respect of his colleagues in the Red Chamber.

As per the records, since he became Senate chief whip, all the bills he coordinated were passed and eventually became laws. Sen. Kalu remains passionate about promoting national peace and unity and supporting the empowerment of Nigerian youths and women. He is very well regarded both locally and internationally. He leverages his high-level international contacts in Africa, Asia, the USA Senate and other key organs of government, the U.K., and many other countries in Europe, all in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Equity, accommodation, and justice: It is worth emphasising that the incoming NASS should be allowed to sort out its leadership positions. All things being equal, the overriding consideration in electing OUK as the next President of the Senate should not be the number of votes the South-East gave to the Tinubu/Shettima ticket. Supporting OUK could potentially douse tension in the South-East and may even soften the path toward getting significant votes for APC in future elections. It is noteworthy that incumbent President Buhari was equally not supported by the South-East, yet in the spirit of accommodation, he completed the vital Second Niger Bridge, which had been abandoned for about 40 years and so on.

Thus, particularly regarding the 10th Senate, in the interest of equity, fairness, justice, accommodation, and giving a sense of belonging to the South-East, all APC Senators-elect and other stakeholders will do well to elect Kalu, the Ranking Senator and Chief Whip of the current Senate, as the next Senate President, with highly experienced, highly educated, and highly regarded ranking Senator Barau Jibrin (North West) as Deputy Senate President. Such a solid combination will usher in a 10th Senate that will be a win-win for the Tinubu/Shettima administration, with Nigerians and Nigeria as the main beneficiaries.

Muhammed, mni, an APC  stakeholder, wrote from Kano