With the election of the Senate President and Deputy President completed, political leaders and ranking senators have turned their attention to the election of main officials.
The office of majority leader is gaining popularity among legislators.
Former Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), Osita Isunazo (Imo West), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South), Ali Ndume (Borno South), and Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) are among those purportedly targeting the Majority Leader role.
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The Senate President and Deputy Senate President are the only offices in the Upper Legislative Houses that rank higher than the Majority Leader.
Many political stakeholders believe the seat should belong to the South East because the All Progressives Congress (APC) neglected the zone in the zoning structure for the Senate President and Deputy.
Though the party has not officially stated its position on the election of a majority leader, the South East caucus has held several meetings on strategies to ensure one of them is elected majority leader and is lobbying other relevant stakeholders within the party hierarchy, according to the Daily Sun.
According to a source close to the negotiations, the South East caucus met this week and is united in their desire to ensure that the zone receives the majority leader role.
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The source said: “We are reaching out to stakeholders to push for this. It is only fair that the position is micro-zoned to the South East to give them a sense of belonging. We are backing Kalu for the office. Umahi is not a ranking member, so it would be difficult to make a case for him. At the end of the day, it may be down to Kalu and Isunaso.
“Those making a case for Kalu are reminded that besides the fact that he is a ranking member, he was the Chief Whip in the ninth assembly and performed very well. In 2019, he dropped his ambition to contest for the deputy Senate President of the ninth Senate after the APC announced its support for Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central). He not only stepped down, citing party loyalty, he endorsed Omo-Agege, saying that he would always abide by the decision of the party. He was later to emerge the Chief Whip. This shows that he is a loyal party man.”
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