APC chieftain: Opposition is allowed | Senate president not for highest bidder 

Ajibola Basiru, spokesperson of the senate, says the tussle for leadership of the national assembly is open and opposition is allowed.

In respect to the practice of zoning, the south-east is tipped by political analysts to produce the next senate president, while the race to speakership is between the north-west and the north-central.

Orji Kalu, the chief whip, and Godswill Akpabio are some of the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that have shown interest in taking the role of the senate president.

About ten members of the house of representatives, including Idris Wase, the deputy speaker, are contesting for the speakership seat.

Meanwhile, members of the opposition have also started lobbying and wooing colleagues to their side with the aim of clinching the apex legislature seats. 

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Basiru said the ruling party is not dismissing the force of the opposition, but said “possibility of them agreeing may fall flat before it begins.”

“In politics, you can not write off permutations, or any force. I think it is also good that they showed their hands early. That will make our party to sit tight and work towards the way of ensuring that we have leadership of the house of representatives,” he said.

“The possibility of the opposition agreeing to the extent that they are driven by the same ambition will also make that coalition to fall flat even before we get to the contest.

“We will not dismiss them. We are taking them very serious and I think my leaders are also taking them serious and we believe that with the majority that we have, we should produce leadership of both the senate and house of representatives.”

On the issue of money playing vital role in influencing lawmakers’ choices for the leadership of the national assembly, Basiru said the positions cannot be bought.

“It portends danger for the robustness of our democracy. When it comes to horse trading and lobbying that is within the areas of the constitution and it is acceptable,” he said. 

“But when it comes to the purchase of mandates, I think that is dangerous for democracy. Notwithstanding the demonetisation and squeezing of naira from circulation, still the 2023 elections is still fraught with incidence of vote buying.

“Which means that terrorists, having large amount of money, can even aspire to the position and get elected to that position. 

“Both at the general election and the electoral college like the national assembly, we need to address the issue of vote buying and the issue of getting people to the office with that such kind of motivation.”