Race for the presidency of the 10th Senate got a new contender Wednesday with declaration of Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno South) for the coveted seat.
Ndume, who made the declaration in a personally signed statement, said his ambition would be determined by the fairness of the zoning arrangements that would be put in place by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership.
He said, “Subject to the position of the party, and the fairness of such arrangements, I intend to throw my hat for the race for Senate presidency because of my experience.”
The Borno South senator who contested the seat with the incumbent president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan in 2019, wondered why the APC was insisting on zoning arrangements for the National Assembly positions when it didn’t do the same during the presidential primaries.
He said: “The APC leadership did not take any position during the presidential primary election. Aspirants from all geopolitical zones participated in the exercise.
“Senators should be allowed to choose a competent person among them that has adequate legislative and managerial experiences to lead the Senate.
“Zoning may not lead to the emergence of the best person for the job that is why the decision to choose the Senate presiding officers must be the sole responsibility of the senators.”