MARK BEGS N/EAST SENATORS…MAY GET DEPUTY SENATE LEADER POSITION

By BEN AGANDE
ABUJA - The leadership of the Senate is mounting pressure on Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, senators from the North-East Zone to rescind their decision rejecting the position of Deputy Senate Leader offered to the zone.

As part of a peace effort, the Senate leadership, led by the Senate President, David Mark and the leadership of PDP, it was learnt, are now pressuring  the senators to rescind their decision.

Mark, it was learnt, is offering juicy committee positions to the zone.

All 14 PDP senators from the zone had in a statement after a meeting last week resolved to reject the position of Deputy Leader.

Vanguard learnt that the rejection was in response to what they described as the attitude of PDP to the North-East Zone.

'It is obvious that the party does not consider us important in the scheme of things and that is the message we are taking to our people,' a senator told Vanguard.

However, to placate the senators from the North-East, Mark and others have initiated moves to bring the senators from the zone on board.

A senator told Vanguard, yesterday, that, 'some of the proposals being brought to the table are to ensure that the zone gets high profile committees and a reassurance from the Senate leadership that the zone would be carried along in the scheme of things in the Senate. I believe that before the end of this week, the issue would be resolved,' the senator added.

A  senator from the North-East, who spoke with Vanguard, yesterday, accused the Senate President of trying to 'dictate to us who we should select. Can you imagine  the Senate President saying there are some people from the zone he cannot work with? Despite the fact that the zone voted massively for PDP, we are not being accorded our due respect by both the party and the Senate leadership. This is not fair to our people who stood by the party despite all odds.'

Two senators, Ali Ndume (PDP, Borno South) and Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) both of whom crossed over from the House of Representatives are favoured for whatever principal office is zoned to the region on the basis of ranking.