A leading Southern democracy forum, Citizens Network For Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPDN), has called on the All Progressives (APC) Congress National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee of the party to consider zoning the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly to the South-south.
The CNPDN made the call at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
The relevant statutory organs of the APC are expected to meet this month to formally pronounce a zoning arrangement ahead of June inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
The group noted that the zone has not been given the opportunity to occupy the exalted seat of the President of the Senate since the inception of the present democratic dispensation in 1999.
Francis Okereke Wainwei, National Secretary of CNPDN maintained that conceding the seat to the South-South geopolitical zone will foster national unity.
“It will also drastically reduce the usual acrimony that characterises such struggle for power among the geo-political zones, thereby, reducing unnecessary distractions for the peaceful and smooth take-off of the new dispensation under the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Wainwei noted that; “The call to zone the Senate Presidency of the 10th Senate to the South-South is also strengthened by the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC) got more than 25% (percent) votes in each of the Six (6) South-South states, irrespective of the fact that before now, it had been known as the stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“The electoral contribution of the South-South greatly helped the ruling party to clinch the presidency in the 2023 presidential election. It is, therefore, necessary for the party to consolidate its electoral success in the zone by zoning the Senate Presidency to it.
“In the same vein, we are calling on the ruling party to also zone all the available political positions equitably among the Six ( 6) geopolitical zones, in order to strengthen national unity and cohesion.
“As patriotic citizens, our primary interest is the unity and prosperity of the nation, hence, this clarion call to the ruling party to do the needful by promoting government of national inclusion, equity and fairness to all the geopolitical zones.”
The group also suggested that two-term Akwa- Ibom State Governor and Senator elected to represent Akwa-Ibom North West senatorial district, being the most ranking Senator from the zone should be favoured for the office.
Checks revealed that Senate standing rules, only ranking members of the upper legislative chamber, are eligible to contest for the positions of the President and Deputy President of the Senate respectively.
Narrowing the choice to Akpabio, Wainwei said: “We have also gone further to examine the leadership credentials of senators-elect from the South-South zone that have the competence and experience to progressively pilot the affairs of the Senate of the 10th National Assembly.
“Our wide-ranging and robust consultations revealed that His Godswill Akpabio is the right senator-elect with the competence, national acceptability and political experience to effectively pilot the Senate to greater heights. Akpabio being a former Minority Leader of the Senate under the Peoples Democratic Party and now to be President of the Senate under the All Progressives Congress, can be a true unifier; he can be the rallying point of all the senators and a formidable bridge between the Executive and the Legislature, having also been a former governor and minister.
“We are, therefore, using this medium to also call on all patriotic senators-elect to support and vote massively for Akpabio to emerge as the Senate President of the 10th Senate for the betterment of the country.
“We are therefore, calling on all patriotic Nigerians who truly want to experience the ‘Nigeria of our Dreams‘ to prevail on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the position of the Senate President of the 10th Senate to the South South geopolitical zone and also prevail on their senators-elect to facilitate and ensure the emergence of Akpabio as the Senate President of the 10th Senate and the leader of the 10th National Assembly.”
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