…, makes case for South East Speaker

By Henry Umoru, ABUJA

AHEAD of the inauguration of the National Assembly, a group under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress, APC  State Assembly Forum, ASAF has urged the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party to zone the position of Senate President to  North West geo-political zone of the country and the Speaker, House of Representatives to the South East.

The group has also advised President  Muhammadu Buhari, and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu to do this in order to maintain equity justice and inclusiveness.

In a letter addressed to the national chairman of APC Senator Abdullahi Adamu, ASAF said that it has become imperative for the party’s leadership to balance the lopsidedness in the senate leadership by zoning the presidency to the North West against the backdrop that the zone still remains one of the few zones that have not produced the senate president of the country since the return to democracy in 1999.

The Forum in its letter which was signed by the Director General, Fubara Dagogo, said that the North West should also be appreciated and encouraged to strengthen its sure political base for the APC and continue booster votes from the zone as well as a parting shot to our outgoing amiable President Muhammadu Buhari in appreciation of his immense service to the party since inception.

Dagogo who advocated that the Speaker of the House of Representatives be zoned to the South East,  urged the APC leadership to consider the South East for Senate Majority Leader, while the North Central zone should be given to the House Majority Leader.

ASAF noted that the Forum comprises all elected and serving state assembly members under the platform of the All Progressives Congress in all the states of the Nigerian federation, adding that it provides a common platform for all APC Lawmakers at the state assembly level to pool resources together, share knowledge and experience in a peer review approach towards the promotion of the progressive ideology of APC, for the purpose of bringing visible good governance to every nook and cranny of our dear nation.

The letter read in part, “This noble undertaken to put in motion by some key party stakeholders across the country over five years ago has resulted in a quiet but robust effective rapprochement and solidarity among elected APC members of State Houses of Assembly with APC representation.

“This resultant bond was productively deployed in all 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria in the largely concluded 2023 general elections; the outcome of which is already widely known.

“In a special consultative session in Abuja on Tuesday 11th April 2023; a session convened to among other things, to plan for the upcoming induction of the newly elected APC State Assembly members into the forum in a ceremony to be unveiled soon, we took leave to delve into the topical issue of the leadership of the 10th National Assembly under the majority party APC.

“We noted the feverish interest it has generated in the party and the polity. And our deep concern draws from past experiences especially witnessed in the choosing of the leadership of the 8th National Assembly in 2015.To this end, we resolved to communicate our considered position open to the National Leadership of our great party through the National Leader of the party and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; President Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman; Sen. Abdullahi Adamu as well as the teeming membership and stakeholders of the party at home and in the diaspora.

“In the light of the above considerations and after due consultations with the entire membership of the forum, we have hereby projected a zoning formula for further consideration and adoption as an official template for the party in this instance towards ensuring strict adherence to party cohesion, equity, fairness, justice and national unity

“Having occupied the position of the Senate President severally in this fourth republic, a Speaker from the South East will provide a soothing balm to our distressed members from the zone and will serve to encourage them in their efforts to grow the party with renewed vigour in the zone for future victory at the polls.

“We must declare here upfront that this deeply considered projection is altruistic, nationalistic, futuristic and bearing in mind the best possible outcome for the party and the overall unity, progress and prosperity of our beloved country Nigeria.

“We urge all party faithful to look to this path as we prepare for a smooth swearing in and take-off of the incoming administration come May 29th 2023.”