Senators-elect have commenced intense politicking ahead of the composition of the leadership of the 10th Senate, with eminent individuals including a former Governor of Abia State Orji Uzor Kalu, and Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano State leading the race.
Iwitnesslive can report that other leading candidates for the top position in the National Assembly are Godswill Akpabio, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, and Senator Sani Musa from Niger state.
However, religion and zoning are expected to define how the new leaders of the Senate would emerge. By rules, only ranking members can stand for election as Senate president. Ranking members are those who have been in the senate for two or more times.
Despite the huge skirmishes he suffered, the incumbent Senate President Ahmad Lawan found his way back into the hallowed chamber but he will not be considered for the position this time because his north-east region produced the vice president-elect Kashim Shettima who is from Borno State.
Region is expected to play a huge part in the selection process with senators from North-west, southeast and south-south positioning themselves for the plum job.
Southwest where the president-elect Bola Tinubu is from is also out of contention.
Jibrin is hugely popular among his peers in the Senate; the soft-spoken legislator stands a good chance because he is from the northwest, a region that is intensely pushing for the number three seat with an argument that it is the biggest zone in the country, with the highest number of citizens.
However, being a Muslim could count against Jibrin as general feelings across the ruling All Progressives Congress is that the Christian community in Nigeria should be assuaged by to ceding the Senate presidency to them.
The hugely experienced Jibrin started his legislative journey from the House of Representatives in 2015 before switching to the Senate in 2015 and has retained his seat in the red chamber since then.
Uzor Kalu is favoured for the plum job on many fronts; the people of the southeast have been clamoring for the Igbo presidency but having lost out this time following the defeat of Peter Obi of the Labour Party who is from that region, the zone could be compensated with the senate presidency.
If the office is ceded to the southeast, Uzor Kalu is in a prime position to nick it. He is a ranking member of the Senate, and being a current chief whip has also prepared him for the job.
He is also a Christian which makes him tick many boxes but coming from a region that gave the ruling party the lowest of votes and with the lowest number of senators could count against him.
Akpabio is also another ranking member having served in the red chamber between 2015 and 2019. He is said to be jostling for the position and being a Christian from the southeast could count in the favour of the former governor.
Umahi of Ebonyi may have a slim chance because he is not a ranking member of the red chamber. He is banking on being a Christian and closeness to the leadership of the APC including the president-elect to actualize his ambition.
The chairman of the Committee on Senate Services, Senator Sani Musa, is also said to be lobbying for the position.
He believes North-central where he is from has been marginalized in the country and it is time the region is considered for the position again.
He is said to be enjoying the support of APC Chairman Abdullahi Adamu who is also from the same region as Musa.
Meanwhile, Iwitnesslive has learnt that the aspirants and their supporters have been lobbying the president-elect to support their aspirations.
