Senator Ali Ndume has stepped up his campaign for the position of Senate President in the Ninth Senate, despite the endorsement of Senator Ahmed Lawan by the leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC)

Ndume, who represents Borno South senatorial district, has rolled out a nine-point agenda in handbills he circulated in Abuja on Monday.

One of the points in the agenda was a promise to improve upon the performance of the 8th Senate, stating that he will make the office of the Senate President less attractive by reducing unnecessary privileges attached to the office

Also on his agenda is the independence of the legislature, operation of checks and balances and strict adherence to the principle of separation of powers.

He added that he will prioritise and ensure the passage of the Constituency Development Bill, which will make constituency projects more transparent, accountable, efficient and effective.

Ndume also stated that if elected, he would mobilise other senators to agree on timeline for confirmation of nominees of Mr. President, passage of bills. The third-termer senator said with him in the saddle, the national budget would be passed within 90 days from the day of submission to the National Assembly.

He pledged to make laws that will block leakages in the system; devise improved means of generating revenue, amendment and review of tax laws, and emphasis on reduction of reliance on local and foreign loans to finance budget.

“To run the Ninth Senate transparency, through open accountability with full participation of all senators. For example, we will transfer the approving powers of the privileges of the senators like foreign travels, allowances to Senate Services Committee or a new committee to be known as Ways and Means Committee”, the document added.

Ndume concluded that the Senate under his leadership will uphold the governing party’s principles and policies, in addition to making laws and reviewing existing ones, to key into APC’s Next Level Agenda for the country.

•Sourced from The Nation report