Senate presidency: I’m the most experienced, says Barau

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Barau Jibrin, has declared intention to contest for Senate  presidency in the 10th National Assembly. 

The All Progressives Congress’s (APC) Barau made the declaration Wednesday while briefing reporters at the National Assembly in Abuja.

He said: “I intend to be the President of the 10th Senate by the grace of God. I will, in few days or weeks, make formal declaration.”

The Kano North senator said he is the most experienced among those who are seeking to occupy the coveted office in the 10th Assembly.

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He said the North West should be considered for the position of the Senate President having given the highest votes to the President-elect.

Barau also dismissed the calls in some quarters for a Christian Senate President to balance APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying competence should not be sacrificed for religious sentiment.

The Senator said, “The legislature is a distinct arm of government that considers your ability to do the job.

“The National Assembly has the latitude to regulate its own procedures as a distinct arm of government. That’s why we have our standing rules.

“It is clear in the Senate Standing Rule that aspiration or election for the Office of the Senate President shall be in accordance with ranking and most experienced.

“Among those who are seeking to occupy that office, I have the highest ranking and most experienced.

“The issue is that of competence. You need to be grounded in procedures of legislation and other activities of the parliament before becoming the Senate President.

“As we speak, I’m number one among those who are aspiring to become Senate President in terms of experience.

“Will you now relegate competence for other sentiments? There was a time we had a Christian Senate President, David Mark, and the deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, a Christian and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, a Christian. There were the most experienced and ranking at that time. Competence was not relegated for sentiment then. Bringing religious sentiment won’t fly. It’s about competence not sentiment. When we talk about experience, I’m the most experienced. There is need to reward performance. The North West deserves to produce the Senate President because we gave the President-elect the highest votes.

“We want our president to go for second term. We saw what he did in Lagos and want him to replicate that across the country.

“In 2015, when President Buhari was declared the winner, he tried to give attention to the area that gave him the highest votes. Key government positions were zoned to the Northwest and North East to reward the people.”