The North Central and North West geographic zones are fighting over the deputy Senate seat, perhaps anticipating a South-zoned Senate presidency of the 10th National Assembly.
North Central senators-elect met in Abuja over the weekend and backed Senator Sani Musa for Deputy Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.
However, some All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders under the Concerned APC Members’ Forum rejected the move, insisting that the North West must produce the next deputy Senate president, Senator Barau I. Jubrin, for the 10th National Assembly.
The APC has denied media reports of zoning agreements, saying the party leadership has not authorized any.
The APC’s national publicity secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, stated that the media’s zoning should be ignored.
After a decision, Morka said the Party’s official news outlet would reveal it.
The ruling Party stated: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to variations of zoning arrangements for the 10th National Assembly leadership posts in circulation in social media sectors. Disregard the party-unrelated facts.
The Party has not zoned 10th National Assembly leadership slots, and that decision will be communicated through the Party’s official channels”.
Aliyu Wadada, the Senator-elect for Nasarawa West Senatorial District, who assembled the North Central lawmakers on Friday, said they would only accept the deputy Senate president post.
Wadada said that the caucus and the House of Representatives were in agreement.
On Friday night, the North Central Senators-elect met with the zone’s governors in the Kwara State Governor’s House Asokoro, Abuja, after passing a resolution to support Sani Musa’s Senate President bid in Maitama.
LEADERSHIP Sunday’s North Central governors endorsed their senators-resolution elect’s backing Niger East Senator Sani Musa for Senate deputy president in the 10th National Assembly.
Governors Yahaya Bello of Kogi and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara met the Senators-elect.
The caucus encouraged the APC National Working Committee and president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to honour the North Central’s aspirations.
At the senators-elect meeting earlier, Wadada said, “We convened this meeting to welcome Mr. President-elect from his foreign trip.
“We also admire his willingness to guarantee justice and equity in leadership roles across geographical zones.
We are aware of geopolitical agitations for Senate President, deputy Senate president, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker.
We’re aware. The South West and North East produced the president and vice president, respectively. Therefore, the North Central settled for the deputy Senate president.
“This is coming later. The North Central Caucus has been constant throughout the politics that led to the National Assembly leadership crises. For deputy Senate president. We would cooperate with other Nigerian geopolitical zones.”
“There has been synergy from home,” Wadada added when asked if the North Central caucus of House members-elect agrees.
Senator Musa, the North Central Senators-elect caucus chairman, led the senators-elect at the governor’s meeting.
Our reporter learned that the gathering was to meet and familiarise with their governors formally, the political leaders of their states.
They also shared their caucus resolutions with governors.
Governor Bello reportedly thanked the caucus for uniting for the first time to advance the zone’s interests.
Bello urged local government elected officials, political appointees, and serving and retired state and National Assembly members to unify.
He also told the federal lawmakers-elect that all North Central governors would back their desire to elect a presiding officer in the 10th National Assembly.
“This is the opportune moment for us to unify to achieve a single objective so that North Central Nigeria would take its proper position in the affairs of the country,” he added.
Kwara State governor praised the caucus for working together.
Abdulrazaq added, “The fact that he elected Senators from our zone, irrespective of their political party membership, have decided to come together to promote a common cause for the sake of the North Central and the country is a good development and very praiseworthy.
“We will advise the caucus to go out to other zones to achieve the necessary numbers and cooperation. All senators-elect should stay focused and target the highest leadership position in the 10th Senate.”
Senator Musa, the caucus leader, urged governors to keep fighting for zone equity.
Isah Jibrin and Sadiq Umar Suleiman joined Musa, two returning senators from Kogi East and Kwara North.
Peter Ndalkali Jiya, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, Sunday Karimi, and Udende Memsa Emmanuel are the newly elected senators for the Niger South, Nasarawa West, Kogi West, and Benue North East, respectively.
Others are Hon. Diket Plang (Plateau Central), Mohammed Onawo (Nasarawa South), Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue North West), and Engr. (Dr.) Abubakar Sadiku Ohere (Kogi Central).
APC stakeholders say Senator Jibrin from the North West.
Yesterday, the Concerned APC Members Group urged that the North West should have the deputy Senate president job.
They backed Senator Barau Jubrin for deputy Senate president. They said they would notify the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Party’s national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, in a formal letter on Monday morning.
At a press conference in Abuja, APC leaders stressed the importance of federal character to give each geopolitical zone a sense of belonging.
The forum’s national convener, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, noted that while the South West and North East have produced president-elect and vice president-elect, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) should consider zoning Senate president and deputy Senate president to the South-South and North West.
Ogenyi said, “We believe that the Party’s role in the National Assembly Leadership is to ensure the emergence of a competent senator who has distinguished himself over the years, devoid of religious and tribal sentiment, a pan-Nigerian who has been tested and trusted, proven worthy of integrity, character and prudent management.
“As believers in the Nigerian project, we ask the Party to consider the federal character in the zoning of the 10th senate leadership bearing in mind competency and credibility with a knowledge that Nigeria is a circular state with multi-faith and six geopolitical zones.
We remind you, the leadership of our Party, that the President-elect is from the South West and the Vice President-elect from the North East. The Senate President should be zoned to the South-South and the Deputy Senate President to the North West. At the same time, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and deputy should be accommodated by the other zones because of the competence and credibility of Honourable members.
“Although we have watched with keen interest the agitations from the various geopolitical zones clamoring to produce the Senate President, we have also studied their request and concluded that APC as a national party should consider federal character considering the six geopolitical zones and the circular nature of the country for even distribution of key government positions.
We endorse H.E. Senator Godswill Akpabio for Senate President and Senator Barau I. Jibrin for Deputy Senate President since zoning is not done in a vacuum.
Ogenyi contended that both zones cast significant votes that helped the APC win the previous presidential election and should be compensated.
The forum recommended Senators Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom North West) and Barau Jibrin (Kano North), ranking senators from both zones, for the elevated seats.
“South-South supplied the second greatest votes in the South after South-West, which houses the President-elect,” it said. Kano state has continuously given APC the most votes per state since the Party’s founding.
“More so, our submission is based on their legislative experience, careful financial management, fair disposition towards national peace and unity, caring for the less fortunate, competence, reward for hard work, electoral value, and diplomatic connections.
Senator Akpabio is the highest-ranking APC senator from the South-South, whereas Senator Barau I. Jibrin is from the North West.
“We sincerely appeal to the National Chairman of our great Party, H.E. Sen Abdullahi Adamu CON, and his National Working Committee members to zone the Senate Presidency seat to the South-South and the Deputy Senate President to the North West, preferably micro-zoned to Akwa Ibom State and Kano State to pave the way for the most ranking Senators, Godswill Akpabio and Barau I. Jibrin to emerge as the Senate President and Deputy Senate President of the
We call on President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Progressives Governor’s Forum (PGF), and our Party’s state chairpersons to establish a government of national competence by supporting the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South-South and Deputy to the North West.
“This organization openly appeals to our leaders and sends formal letters to our Party’s National Chairman and President-elect.
We will continue to promote excellent governance in line with our great Party, APC.
