The race for the President of the ninth Senate took another turn Thursday as groups stormed the National Assembly to drum support for the emergence of Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje for exalted position.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has already endorsed Senator Ahmad Lawan as candidate of the party for the position of Senate President for the ninth session.
Senators Lawan (Yobe North) and Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South) have publicly declared their interest for the position.
Goje is yet to make any public declaration to contest the position of Senate President.
But a group, Amalgamated Youths from North East staged a rally at National Assembly gate asked Goje to declare his intention to go for the position without further delay.
Led by one Bello Ambo from Bauchi State, the group said neither the endorsement of Lawan by the National leadership of APC nor expression of interest by Senator Ndume, should prevent Goje from throwing his hat into the ring for the position of Senate President.
Ambo noted that as far as public service experience was concerned, “Goje stands far above the others having controlled a state for eight years between 2003 and 2011 and have been in the Senate with required parliamentary experience.
He said, “Position of Senate President requires administrative and parliamentary knowledge enormously possessed by Goje as against the two other contenders from the zone.”
Reminded that the APC has taken a decision on who should occupy the position with the endorsement of Lawan, Ambo insisted that “Senators-elect were matured people who can decide who their leader should be and should be allowed to do so.”
He said, “Our party (APC) is a party of the people and not few leaders, the party should allow the people in this case, Senators -elect, to decide whoever they want as their leader in whatever capacity.
“For us the Goje Support Groups from the North East for the presidency of the 9th Senate (GSGNE), Senator Danjuma Goje is the right man for the job. He has the required experience as a tested administrator and high ranking lawmaker.
“He is a man of the people and a senator with all it takes in carrying others along across party lines and most importantly, a party man to the core that will fit perfectly into the next level agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Another leader of the group, Abdul Saleh said though Lawan is from his State, and the position of the President of the 9th Senate is zoned to the North East, Goje should be allowed to contest for the position.
Saleh claimed that nobody sponsored them as they were yet to meet Senator Goje personally.
He said, “We are politically conscious youths from the North East resident in different areas of the federal capital territory and in particular, card carrying members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We are calling on Senator Goje to contest for the President of the 9th Senate, being the most qualified person from the zone as far as we are concerned.
“The party might have spoken in support of Senator Ahmad Lawan but Senators-elect are to decide when the time comes. Goje should come out and contest, the same way Senator Ali Ndume is doing.
“The more they are in the race, the better the offers before Senators-elect to pick from.”
Members of the groups who spent some hours at the main entrance of the National Assembly to drum support for Goje carried banners with various inscriptions and Goje’s portraits to amplify their message to passersby and motorists.
The support group for Goje to join the Senate Presidency race is coming 48 hours after Senator Ali Ndume declared his nine point legislative agenda if elected President of the 9th Senate in June in defiance to declared adoption of Senator Lawan last week by the national leadership of APC.