RACE FOR THE SENATE PRESIDENCY
Osita Izunaso has what it takes to excel as a Senate President, argues Cyprian Obi Mgbecheta
Nigeria is a unique country. So many things account for its uniqueness among other countries in Africa. It has diverse people, languages and faiths. What stands Nigeria out is the ability of its diverse people to resolve some complex political problems using negotiation and dialogue. That is why Nigeria has continued to play the Big Brother role in resolving conflicts in Africa. Apart from the unfortunate 30 months Nigerian Civil War that shook its foundation, Nigerians have since then used non-violence means to resolve their problems. The bottom line is that we have used agreed zoning or power sharing formula to share political offices in such a way that it reflects the federal character principle as enshrined in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).
Following the outcome of the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections, it is expected that while some people are celebrating, some others will be complaining. It is the nature of politics and elections in the country. These tendencies have always manifested at almost every election cycle. But our ability to manage them has strengthened our union. Since the return of democracy in 1999, the zoning of key political offices amongst the six geopolitical zones has gone a long way to stabilize the polity and ensured sustainable peace and harmonious coexistence. In 1999, there was a gentlemen agreement within the polity to zone the presidency to the South, especially the South-West region, to assuage the ill-feelings emanating from the annulled June 12, 1993 election believed to have been won by their kinsman, Chief MKO Abiola. At the end of the political horse trading, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo emerged victorious and became Nigerian President on May 29, 1999. To pacify the people of the South-East region, the position of Senate President was ceded to the zone the eight years of Obasanjo Presidency. The North-West had the Speaker of House of Representatives, the North-East produced the Vice President, while the North-Central had the position of the National Chairman of the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The zoning arrangement has subsisted since then. It has also helped to bring political inclusion and douse tension in the country.
The just concluded 2023 elections share so much in common with 1999 scenario. With the ceding of the Nigerian Presidency to the Southern part of the country by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the South-West, South-East and the South-South contested for the primary and Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the contest. The South-East argued that since the South-West and the South-South have occupied the presidential seat, respectively, it was the turn of the South-East. Obviously, politics with its complexity could not allow the South-East’s argument to fly, hence the ceding ambiguity that the slot was for South and not any particular Southern bloc prevailed and carried the day.
This made it possible for a Northern coalition with South-West to produce Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the APC standard bearer and now the President-elect. Similar to the 1999 arrangement where Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of North East became the Vice President, this time around, another person from North East, Senator Kashim Shettima emerged as Tinubu’s deputy. The North-West, where the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari hails from, is poised to produce the Speaker of House of Representatives which it has produced several times since the return of our present democratic dispensation. In 1999, the zone produced Ghali Naba, and subsequently produced other House of Representatives Speakers like Bello Masira (present Governor of Katsina), Tambuwal (present Governor of Sokoto State).
As it stands, the South-East zone is most qualified to produce the next President of the Senate. Of all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria, the South-East should be given the position. It is natural that in the spirit of national development, integration, balancing and stability, the next President of Nigeria’s Senate should be ceded to the South-East. The South South and North Central have no basis to agitate for the coveted office of the Senate President. At the moment, someone from North Central is the National Chairman of the APC, the South South has produced good outings as Vice President and President of Nigeria. The position of the President of the Senate should be ceded to the South-East as a way of moving the country forward after Buhari.
The clamour for ceding the position of the Senate President to South-East is justified. The zone has eminently qualified ranking senators to lead the Red Chamber and the 10th National Assembly. In the Senate, seniority is highly valued and considered while constituting its leadership, including the headship of strategic committees. Among the ranking senators from the South-East being tipped for the position of the Senate President is Senator Bonaventure Osita Izunaso. He has the unanimous support of senators from his zone and others. He is coming to the post with vast knowledge and experience in the legislature.
Senator Izunaso served as the Chief Press Secretary to the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Agunwa Anakwe in 1993 and much later under Senate President Evan Enwerem in 1999. The senior position of Chief Press Secretary to the two Principal Officers of the lower and upper Legislature preceded Izunaso’s proper Legislative journey in the National Assembly which commenced with his election into the Federal House of Representatives in 2003 and thereafter his election into the Senate between 2007 and 2011. Senator Izunaso is rated very highly and regarded as a consummate and cerebral parliamentarian, known for excellence and productivity.
He is also a good party man, astute manager and advocate of good governance. As one of the founders of APC from the South-East, he helped to build the party to its present position in the zone. He became the founding Organizing Secretary of the ruling APC and later its substantive Organizing Secretary that coordinated most successful primary elections and subsequent general elections that paved way for the overwhelming success and dominance of the party in national politics. One can assert without equivocation that Senator Izunaso’s managerial ability has contributed immensely to the phenomenal growth of APC.
As the APC shops for a credible candidate for the position of Senate President, Senator Izunaso comes to mind because he has what it takes to excel as a Senate President. Apart from having a Master’s degree in English Language, Izunaso made a First Class in Law as well as a master’s degree in law. On account of his meritorious service to the nation, he was last year conferred with the national honour of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the President Muhammadu Buhari.
He is a trusted and reliable party chieftain whose exposure, experience in party management and Legislative business will definitely enrich the 10th Senate and further build a workable partnership between the incoming Executive under President-elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, and the incoming 10th National Assembly. Izunaso is eminently qualified to lead the next Senate and the National Assembly.
Mgbecheta writes from Lagos
