The extant rules on “due process” governing the election of the Senate President put Senator Ahmad Lawan in good stead to emerge as the head of the National Assembly, according to a group of ranking senators- elect.

The group, which rose from a brain storming session in Abuja yesterday on the stance of the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the senate presidency race, said if indeed “due process will be allowed as the red book stipulates, then Lawan is the aspirant to beat.”

Armed with the “ red book”, which is the “Senate Standing Order” they quoted Order 3 Rule 2 of the Senate standing order governing the election of presiding and other officers, which gives pride of place to ranking of senators.

The rule states: “Nomination of senators to serve as presiding officers of the senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators. In determining ranking, the following order shall apply;(i)senators returning based on numbers of time re-elected; (ii) senators who had been members of the House of Representatives and (iii) senators elected as senators for the first time.

The ranking lawmakers pointed out to their colleagues that going by the order, Lawan is the most qualified among the contestants for the senate presidency as he shall conclude a period of 16 years as a legislator at the end of the current Assembly’ adding that he spent eight years as a member of the House of Representatives and another eight years as a senator.

According to them, other aspirants like Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator George Akume, would have spent a period of eight years each as a legislator at the end of the current assembly session.

“In fact, Lawan is the highest ranking APC senator in the eighth assembly and we have no doubt that both the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and our party will be guided accordingly,” members of the group said.

According to them, if indeed the president-elect and the party are for due process and rule of law, then Lawan should be the next senate president.

The ranking senators-elect advised that the in-coming administration to abide by its change mantra, which means that it would be no business as usual, adding than even under PDP controlled seventh senate session extant rules of the upper chamber were not compromised.

“It should dawn on the party that there is the urgent need to adhere to parliamentary culture already in place in the conduct of the primaries and elections into National Assembly election positions,” the ranking senators-elect said.