As the race for the Senate presidency intensifies, 64 ranking and new senators-elect met yesterday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, to endorse the former Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, for the post of Senate president.
The endorsement came as former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday said the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was working hard to amicably resolve the raging tussle over the zoning of principal offices of the National Assembly.
A source who was at the meeting said that the senators who are backing Saraki, who is from the North-central geopolitical zone, had decided to throw their weight behind the former Kwara governor, because they want a “Senate president who is a product of the members and not imposed by a godfather.”
He said those present at the meeting comprised 19 senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 45 from the APC.
Providing more insight, he said those that attended the meeting included Senators Muhammad Adamu Aliero, Danjuma Goje, Andy Uba, Mohammed Ali Ndume and Gilbert Nnaji.
Others include Dino Melaye and Isiaka Adeleke, who have just won elections to the senate, the three senators representing Delta State and two from Edo State, among others.
The move, THISDAY gathered, is aimed at thwarting attempts by the APC to zone the Senate presidency to the North-east geopolitical zone, and efforts by the National Leader of the party Bola Tinubu, to foist Senator Ahmed Lawan, his preferred candidate from Yobe State, as Senate president.
Meanwhile, Atiku, who was in a closed-door meeting with the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday for almost an hour, told journalists that the changes that the incoming APC administration intends to bring into governance will not occur overnight but will be a gradual process.
The APC leadership had in the last two weeks been battling with the issue of zoning of principal offices to be occupied by the party in the National Assembly with various stakeholders pushing for their interests.
When asked whether he discussed the raging issue of zoning of National Assembly leadership with Buhari, the former vice-president said: “No, we just discussed some private matters.”
When pressed further, Atiku said: “It is still too early and moreover, it is something that the party’s leadership is handling, but I believe it will be resolve before the National Assembly reconvenes.
Speaking on whether the party is well prepared to manage its successes recorded at the general election, especially making good on its campaign promises, Atiku asked: “Are we not managing it? We are managing it and I believe we will be successful.”
He said Nigerians should expect a quick- fix measure from the incoming government, adding that positive changes will definitely come.
“The only thing is that changes will not occur overnight, it will be gradual but definitely there will be changes and positive changes for that matter”
Atiku who arrived at Defence House by at 2.40p.m. to meet Buhari, also spoke on the alleged last minute action being carried out by the out-going federal government after election especially as it relates to sacking of some of the President Jonathan’s aides, Atiku said: “Well, there is nothing unusual in what is going on, that is PDP for you, inefficiency, corruption, name it, that is PDP for you.”
Meanwhile, the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria Przemyzlaw Niesiolowski, also met with Buhari and promised that his country would consider Nigeria’s request for humanitarian assistance to help resettle victims of insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country.
