PDP veers towards settling for Goje/Ekweremadu senate president and deputy team

NIGERIA'S main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is planning to agree on a new National Assembly leadership that will see Senator Danjuma Goje emerge as senate president with Senator Ike Ekweremadu as his deputy.

On June 10, Nigeria's ninth senate will assume office, with its first role being to elect its principal officers, with the position of senate president being key. Already, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership has micro-zoned the position to Senator Lawan representing Yobe North Senatorial District but other lawmaker from his northeast geo-political zone are also interested in the job.

Key among them are Senator Goje from Gombe Central Senatorial District and Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South Senatorial District. All three candidates have been desperately wooing senators from the PDP as it is believed that whoever the opposition supports will win, as happened in 2015.

Over the last week, it appears that the PDP senat0rs agreed to back Senator Goje is he picks currently deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu as his number two. However, some PDP leaders are suggesting either Senator Ndume or Senator Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State would be their preference.

Current senate president Senator Bukola Saraki and influential PDP leaders prefer a deal with Senator Goje, however, who was once a father-figure in the opposition party before he defected to APC. PDP leaders are particularly keen to secure one of the National Assembly leadership positions as the APC is not considering the zone at all in its calculations for either the senate of House of Representatives.

Apparently, Senator Ekweremadu has been holding marathon meetings with some APC senators-elect, especially those regarded as rebellious and amenable in order to get at least the 56 votes required. These ongoing talks and negotiations have delayed the official declaration of Senator Goje's bid.