FORMER Kwara State governor and the senator representing Kwara Central Bukola Saraki has emerged as the frontrunner to become the new senate president as the lobbying for the position intensified over the weekend. 

Originally, the position of senate president had been zoned to the southeast but with the geo-political zone failing to elect any All Progressives Congress (APC) senator, it has been decided to keep it within the north central zone. Current senate president David Mark is from the north central zone and it appears that the APC has decided to keep this arrangement in place. 

Subsequently, APC senators from the zone have stepped up intense lobbying of their colleagues hoping to get their vote when the eighth senate reconvenes. Al least four ranking senators are said to be in the race, including Senator Saraki, former Gombe State governor Senator Danjuma Goje, Senate minority leader, Senator George Akume and the former Nasarawa State governor Senator Abdullahi Adamu. 

Senator Goje, however, is said not to be favoured because he is from the northeast, making him ineligible, while Senator Akume has the problem of coming from Benue State where Senator Mark came from and many people think it is time to give other states in the zone the job. Already, Senator Saraki has been rallying PDP members who defected to the APC in November 2013 to help him clinch the seat. 

Many expected that Senator Akume should automatically become the senate president, having held the party together in the chamber in the last four years. However, there are six zones in the north central zone and several leading APC members believe it would be unfair to the others, to keep the senate presidency in Benue alone. 

One party source said: “The APC will ensure the zoning arrangement is adhered to strictly and we will even ensure that the zoning is clinically done so that there is no room for loopholes. For instance, it could be zoned to a particular state in the geopolitical zone and by that eliminates any doubt about who the leaders want.” 

It is believed that the deputy senate presidency will go to the south-south, with the APC's sole senator from the zone, Francis Alimikhena of Edo North expected to clinch the post. This will mean that the northeast and southeast have to vie for the position of speaker, with one zone getting the top job and the other the deputy. 

Prior to the March 28 election, the APC has zoned the senate presidency to the southeast, with Anambra Central's Senator Chris Ngige favoured for the job. However, the party failed to win any seat in the zone as all the southeast's 15 senators are from the PDP.