The lawmaker representing Borno South in the red chamber, Mohammed Ali Ndume has formally declared his intention to join in the race for the seat of the Senate President at the incoming 10th National Assembly.
OsunDaily News reports that Ndume on Wednesday made his position officially known after lots of speculation when he spoke to pressmen in Abuja.
According to him, “My decision to contest for the position of Senate President would be largely determined by the position of the party (APC), and the fairness of such arrangements.”
The lawmaker, who doesn’t believe in zoning positions of the 10th national assembly, noted that his ambition would be determined to a large extent by the proposed zoning of the position and the fairness of such zoning arrangement by the APC as a loyal party man.
He advanced that “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.”
As part of what he described as his 10-Point Agenda if picked as the Senate President, Ndume submitted that “We would amend and review existing tax laws to generate more income, block leakages and ensure transparency through open accountability with the full participation of all senators
“We will protect and improve the welfare, rights and privileges of National Assembly workers.
“We will inculcate es-spirit de-corps in order to utilise the experiences of former members by engaging them as consultants to members and committees in order to tap from their experiences.
“We will set a timeline for confirmations, and passage of bills especially budgets and executive requests.
“The Constituency Development Bill will be passed to ensure transparency, equity, fairness, efficiency and effectiveness of constituency projects.”
