By Ahmed Sule
In the Second Republic, a hitherto low-profile leadership position of the Senate majority leader became powerful in the Nigerian legislature. The prominence and prestige of that office was made possible by late Senator Olusola Saraki, fondly called Baba Oloye who, incidentally, is the father of the ebullient Senator Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central); he has won re-election to the Eighth Senate.
In a newspaper interview a few years ago, the senior Saraki gave insight into how the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was able to work and have a harmonious relationship with the legislature. He said the party leaders and leaders in the parliament would meet, ponder over party positions and then, agree on what should be the party position.
Whatever was agreed at that level was what would happen on the floor of the Senate the following day; hence the harmonious relationship between the party and the legislature.
Since the Fourth Republic berthed in 1999, however, this has not always been the case. What is not in doubt is that the role of the Senate majority leader is still a very important one as whoever occupies that office serves as a link between his colleagues in the legislature and the executive arm of government.
Less than five weeks from now, the Eighth Senate will be inaugurated and new set of principal officers would be elected to pilot its affairs.
For the first time since 1999, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is now in the majority and would, expectedly, form the nuclei of the leadership positions in the Senate.
Expectedly, the jostle for such leadership positions has started. While it is expected to be a straight fight between the North-east and North-central for the Senate Presidency, the South-west is now jostling with the North-west for the Senate majority leader slot.
In 2003, the North-west occupied the position with Senator (now Ambassador) Dalhatu Sarki Tafida from Kaduna state occupying the office. In 2007, the position shifted to the South-west and Senator Teslim Folarin from Oyo state got it.
In 2011, because Folarin could not make it back to the Senate, his deputy, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), amid stiff opposition from the North-east, got the post.
But the South-west believes that this time around, it should be allowed to produce the Senate majority leader. The North-west, having supplied the largest number of Senators in the chamber this time around, 20 Senators in all, is staking its claim to the position.
The candidate being thrown up for the position is Senator Sani Ahmed Yerima, former two-term governor of Zamfara state and now, a third-term returnee to the chamber.
In pushing forward Yerima, It is without doubt that he has been consistent with his politics since 1999. Yerima started with the All Peoples Party (APP) before it transformed into the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and following the merger, now of APC.
Besides, the ranking rule in the chamber, which gives preference to Senators who have been elected more than once into the chamber means that top contenders for the Senate leader position from the North-west are Senators Sani Ahmed Ru’fai and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya.
But Senator Sani is in pole position to clinch the position because, aside being qualified on merit, he has also been endorsed by his colleagues. All he needs now is to reach across the chamber to secure the confidence of his ranking colleagues as well as senators-elect. In addition to the ranking rule in his favour, Sani has been elected into the Senate three times in a row now and has been a principal officer from his first term in the Senate.
Sani (popularly called Yerima), also a former two-term Zamfara state governor, has the most legislative experience from the zone right now. Sani has been a principal officer since 2007. In his first term, he was elected minority whip and in 2011, became the deputy minority leader.
It is on record that Yerima is the only governor from the Class of 1999-2007 to allow his deputy succeed him as governor. Sadly, that trust and confidence was brutally betrayed when his successor took Zamfara state to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
For four good years, Senator Yerima had to traverse Abuja and Zamfara, all in a bid to take back the state for the opposition, then. He succeeded in 2011 when, the man his former successor rejected as his deputy governor eventually took the number one seat from him!
Although the 55-year-old Sani, who holds a Bachelor and Masters degree in Economics is a largely misunderstood man, records show he has always been consistent with whatever he’s doing and also, his politics. Perhaps. What many people do not know was that Senator Yerima was one of the few people who went to Buhari’s house, after the 2011 presidential poll, to tell him that he cannot quit partisan politics.
Senator Yerima not only pledged his loyalty, he also pledged to put his political machinery at Buhari’s disposal whenever it was needed. That pledge was redeemed with the massive votes he got from Zamfara during the March 28/April 11 general polls.
He has gone round to assure his colleagues that as Senate leader, he would assuredly be a team player as it is already evident in his activities as a member of the Body of Principal Officers in the Senate since 2007.
With cognate experience in budgeting, having served as permanent secretary and director general and director of budget, as soon as the Eighth Senate takes off, Yerima will ensure that the past culture of low and non-implementation of national budgets will be a thing of the past.
What is not in doubt at this juncture is that the APC will fill the first six positions in the Senate leadership, leaving the remaining four slots to PDP, which will resume as the minority party in June.
Sule wrote from Kano
