By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah
As soon as the national assembly elections concluded, the race for the senate presidency began in earnest. In Nigeria, politicians do not leave anything to chance, and some are already preparing for the 2027 general election.
Recently, the national working committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met with lawmakers elected on the platform of the party. During the meeting, the APC national chairman told the lawmakers that leadership positions in the national assembly should not be determined by sectional or tribal affiliations.
This is even as the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, told the lawmakers he does not have any preferred candidates for the leadership of the legislative houses to be inaugurated as the 10th national assembly.
However, the reality is that regional or tribal affiliations will undoubtedly determine who becomes the senate president or speaker. Yoruba senators are not jostling for the senate presidency because they know that with the president-elect from the south-west, it is mission impossible for the south-west to aspire for the senate presidency or even the speaker position.
Furthermore, with a Muslim/Muslim ticket of the APC, it is common sense that a Muslim senator should not vie for the senate presidency.
In a country sharply divided by ethnic and religious lines, those factors must play a significant role in the leadership positions in the national assembly.
Unfortunately, those fault lines were exacerbated in this particular election, and the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC did not help matters. The ethnic slur in some parts of the country, especially Lagos, is highly condemnable.
The statement by Tinubu that he does not have a preferred candidate is not entirely believable. For the first time since 1999, Nigeria has a thoroughbred politician as president. Tinubu, who has been a governor, senator, and kingmaker, will be very much interested in who becomes the senate president. The case of Bukola Saraki in the 8th senate will still be fresh in his mind.
The president-elect and the party have two choices here – go for national unity or political settlement. Naturally, the south-east should get the senate presidency for the sake of national unity.
However, there are arguments that the votes that Tinubu got in the whole of the south-east are not equal to the votes he got in the smallest state in the north, Yobe. So based on political settlements, the south-east should not reap where they did not sow. The proponents of this argument said the senate presidency should go to the south-south as the APC had a decent showing in the region.
Also, after the eight years of President Buhari, the north-west should not get any of the top four positions – president, vice-president, senate president, and speaker. It is common sense that they should not.
In my opinion, for the sake of national unity and integration, the south-east should produce the senate president. According to Tinubu, the days of political gamesmanship are over and it is time for national healing. Tinubu should match his words with actions. The south-east should get the senate presidency.
Additionally, for national unity and integration, the speaker position should go to a Christian from the north-central. In my opinion, both the senate presidency and speaker should go to Christians to balance the Muslim/Muslim of the president-elect and his deputy. This is just common sense.
The senate president should come from the south-east, while the north-west can produce the deputy senate president. The north-central can produce the speaker, while the deputy speaker goes to the south-south. This is just common sense.
On a good day, religion or tribe does not determine the competence of an individual. We have competent people in all the states, tribes, and religions in the country.
However, as I previously stated, it is common sense to have an ethnic, regional, and religious balance in the top political offices in a deeply fractured country like Nigeria.