Senate Presidency: Supporters Storm Kaduna For Sen Goje

**Sen Danjuma Goje…pressure to openly declare for Senate Presidency**

BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – The contest for Senate Presidency in the ninth National Assembly took another curious dimension on Thursday as supporters of Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje held a peaceful rally in Kaduna, urging him to openly declare his interest in the office come June 2019.

They maintained that among all the contenders from North East geo-political zone, the Gombe State lawmaker is most qualified to occupy the position.

The rally was organized under the auspices of North West Wing of Coalition of Northern Youth organizations in solidarity for Senator Danjuma Goje.

Chairman of the group, Engineer Hassan Idris, said the build up to the choice of a Senate President from the North East has thrown up serious concerns and the need to draw the attention of well-meaning Nigerians, particularly, those from the zone, to the unfair and purported endorsement of a particular candidate for the Senate presidency by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Engineer Idris said the ruling party’s decision to offer the Senate Presidency to the North East may have been greeted with salutary commendation given the region’s huge contribution to the party’s success at the recently concluded 2019 polls but unfolding events have dampened the enthusiasm of many stakeholders.

He said based on equity and fairness, the group is rejecting the APC’s national leadership so-called endorsement of the current Senate leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan for the position without providing a level playing field for other contestants in the race.

The Coalition Chairman said it must be placed on record that Senator Goje, like Senator Ali Ndume and Senator Ahmad Lawan, is eminently qualified to occupy the Senate President’s office going by their immense contributions to the growth and development of the Party and the geo-political zone in their individual and collective capacity as leaders in the region.

According to him, “We also believe that, as ranking members of the Senate, each of these contenders have the requisite wealth of experience to bring to bear as part of the sterling qualities that should define the character of the Senate President.

“We therefore owe it as a duty to demand and insist that all contenders to the seat of the Senate Presidency must subject themselves to a level playing field and democratic process of equal opportunity.

“Importantly, the North West wing of the Coalition of Northern Youth Organizations is calling on all concerned persons to prevail on Senator Danjuma Goje to openly declare his intention and run for the Presidency of the 9th Senate.”