Ndume’s refusal to step down stalls move to save Saraki

The refusal of the Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, to step down has stalled the resolution of the face-off between the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and the leadership of his party, the All Progressives Congress.
It was learnt that Saraki had failed in his bid to persuade Ndume to step down in the bid to revert to the zoning of principal officers of the Senate as proposed by the leadership of the APC.
Sources told The Eagle Online that while other principal officers elected on the platform of the APC were amenable to stepping down, Ndume said there was no going back.
The APC had before the emergence of the principal officers said its choices for the positions were Senator Ahmed Lawan (North-East) as Majority Leader, George Akume (North-Central) as Deputy Majority Leader and Abu Ibrahim (North-West) as Deputy Chief Whip.
However, Saraki did not abide by the proposal of the party, leading to a face-off with the leadership of the APC on the one hand and President Muhammadu Buhari, who wanted the party’s position respected.
With his battle to survive as the country’s number three man following the case instituted against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Saraki has been trying to reverse the positions of the principal officers in order to assuage the leadership of the APC.
His belief is that this would be the political solution required to terminate the case against him at the CCT.
But Ndume is said to be insisting that he would not give up the mandate given to him by the people of his zone.
Though some sources said the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Na’allah, and the Deputy Majority Whip, Francis Alimikhena, appear amenable, it was however learnt that they are also insisting on keeping their positions.
Several meetings were said to have been held on the issue, with the last being one convened by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday night.
Among those at the meeting were Ndume, Senator Ibrahim Gobir and Senator Danjuma Goje.
However, Ndume was said to have insisted at the meeting that he would not give up the mandate given to him by his constituency.