Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno south, APC), a former senate leader and major contender for the office of the president of the 9th senate has said that despite the fact that he moves alone to canvass for votes and support of the senators-elect, he has many senators-elect behind him.
He told journalists in Abuja yesterday, that he decided not to be moving about with senators-elect as a matter of principle and conviction that he is first and foremost equal to every senator-elect.
He insisted that he is supposed to be following the senators-elect to their offices and abode to seek for their votes and supports.
“I am not seeking an election to be ‘Senators’ President’, but hoping to be Senate President by the grace of God and wishes of the senators-elect.
“I don’t expect my colleagues of equal status to be following me about to canvass for votes amongst our colleagues; instead I am supposed to be following them.
“Indeed, I am already following them one after the other, canvassing for vote and not endorsement’’, Ndume stated.
When asked to confirm the online report that that no fewer than 35 senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are already backing him to emerge as the Senate President of the 9th National Assembly, Ndume however declined comment.
“I don’t need to start counting the number of senators-elect who share aspiration and conviction with me for now. It is too early to be doing that’’.
Ndume said he takes exception to the statement credited to senate presidency aspirant who claimed that APC governors have donated their Senators-elect to him.
“Senators, all over the world are highly respected and revered. This includes the choice of words to describe them. I take exceptions with the claim by an aspirant that some senators-elect are being donated to him’’.
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Several online media papers went viral with the reports that certain numbers of senators from the APC are backing Ndume.
This is just as it was stated that the lawmakers are unhappy with the APC leadership for attempting to impose Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, without recourse to them.
Some of the senators-elect were said to be irked by the statement expressed by Senator Lawan to the effect that all the APC state governors have allegedly donated their senators to him to ensure his victory.
“We are not happy over claims by Lawan that APC governors have donated their Senators-elect to him in order to realise his Senate Presidency.
“Even they have gone ahead to share the juicy committees to Senators-elect that are favourable to the imposition,” the Senator-elects were quoted to have said.
They noted further that they were angry about attempts to intimidate and harass some of them by using the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), as they have also discovered plans by the party to plant spies in the gallery of the chamber to monitor the elections.
The majority of the lawmakers rooting for Ndume are the incoming senators and a few former governors who feel slighted by the bullying tendencies of the party ational chairman, Adam Oshiomhole.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi yesterday said that Senator Lawan is not living any stone unturned in his bid for president of the 9th senate.
Senator Abdullahi who doubles as the official spokesman of the Senator Lawan’s campaign group said the 109 senators-elect have inalienable rights to contest and vote during the day of inauguration.
“The 1999 constitution as amended has guaranteed the right of every senator-elect the right to vote and be voted senate president.
“No one can be shut out from contesting or voting on the day of inauguration of the 9th National Assembly’’, Senator Abdullahi said.
