SENATE PRESIDENCY: LAWAN, SARAKI DIVIDE APC LEADERS, SENATORS

•As Suswam mobilises support for Akume 
•Why party delays zoning formula
The emergence of the Unity Forum, a group of Senators of the 8th Senate, who are projecting the Senate presidency of Senator Ahmad Lawan, appeared to have thrown the plans by leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to announce a zoning formula into disarray as the party appears split between the two front runners.
Senator Lawan’s Unity Forum and Senator Bukola Saraki’s Like Minds appeared to have seized the attention of a number of incoming Senators with the vociferous campaigns already flagged off.
Sources said that the party leaders are finding it difficult to announce a zoning arrangement that would be difficult to implement as the Senators appear to have queued behind respective candidates.
The party was said to have resolved to only advise the lawmakers on the way to go such that the positions can still spread among the geopolitical zones.
Loyalists of Senator Saraki under the aegis of Like Minds had announced that no fewer than 65 Senators and senators elect have signed up for the former Kwara state governor as at Wednesday last week.
But the Unity Forum, which is projecting Senator Ahmad Lawan, who hails from Yobe in the North East had punctured the claim while announcing their group last Thursday.
Sources close to the group also said that the Yobe Senator boasts of the required number to win the senate Presidency. A senator needs 56 votes to win the seat of senate president.
It was gathered that the party was finding it difficult to investigate the claims from both sides and had resolved not to get its fingers burnt by announcing a zoning formula that would be unimplementable.
The party has resolved to go by popular candidates and allow the Senators and Reps members decide their leaders, said a source monitoring the situation for the APC.
The development is coming on the heels of the resolve by Senator George Akume also a force in the senate Presidency bid to renew his campaign.
It was gathered at the weekend that incumbent governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, had assumed the position of chief campaigner for Akume in a bid to ensure the seat returns to Benue.
A source close to his campaign said that the Senate presidency race has assumed a cross-party dimension.
Suswam was said to have declared his backing for Akume at a meeting of Benue State Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP Stakeholders, held at the State Secretariat of the party on Old Otukpo Road, Makurdi.
PDP stakeholders told the Sunday Tribune that party leaders in attendance were drawn from the ward, local government, federal constituency, zonal and state levels and included the state chairman of the party, Dr Emmanuel Agbo and his deputies in charge of the three Senatorial zones in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Anoor, Prince Yandev Amaabi and Hon Moses Ajima.
Newly elected members of the Benue State House of Assembly, including Terser Azuur representing Guardian state constituency, were also said to be in attendance.
The governor was quoted as saying that he was ready to deploy all his goodwill and networks across the country, to canvas for Akume’s candidacy, as according to him, “Akume had paid his dues as a respectable Minority Leader in the Senate and would serve Nigeria and Benue State in particular much better, should he ascend the exalted position.”
Suswam was said to have kickstarted a campaign to rein in senators of the PDP and APC for Akume ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly in June.
-Tribune