A chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Musa Saidu says the south-east should not seek the position of senate president because the geopolitical zone did not vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saidu said the geopolitical zone gave the majority of its votes to the Labour Party (LP).
“I want to say without fear of contradiction that the South-East has no justification to start asking for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly, because it is not part of those who voted for the APC.
“The south-east can’t be in contention for the senate presidency because its people didn’t vote for the APC. You are talking about fairness and justice, when you didn’t even vote for the APC during the 2023 general election.
“Other zones voted massively for the party and the president-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, while you decided to give your votes entirely to the Labour Party.
“How can you come out to say that the president-elect should zone the senate presidency to the south-east, when you didn’t vote for him?
“Supposing he didn’t win the election, would he be in the position to zone the senate presidency?”
Saidu said the senate presidency is not “for free”, adding that “you have to work for it”.
“I think that the zoning of the senate presidency to south-south is not entirely a bad idea because the zone performed better in terms of voting for the APC in the last election,” he said.
The Senate South-East Caucus, had on May 7 urged the APC to zone the Senate Presidency of the 10th Assembly to the South-East for fairness and justice.
Reading the communique at the end of a meeting in Abuja, Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah(YPP-Anambra) also urged the President-elect, to ensure that the position was zoned to the South-East.
“The incoming administration of Tinubu must correct this anomaly by ensuring that the South-East is given the opportunity to produce the next Senate President.
“The President-elect should be sensitive to the times in Nigeria and ensure the country continues to thrive on the part of equity, unity and fairness to the tripod of Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo,Yoruba) and the geopolitical zones.
“With the side-lining of the South-East from producing the Presidential candidates of the major political parties before the general elections, the only means through which the zone can be compensated and given a sense of belonging is for the zone to produce the next Senate President.
“This will restore confidence of the people from the South-East and South-South geo-political zones and indeed all Nigerians in the unity of the country.”
He added: that the APC must rise above primordial and political interest.
“It must also shun the winner takes all syndrome and pursue ethno-religious inclusivity and a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous, equitable and just democratic nation.
“The South-East has been denied the chance of producing the president of Nigeria since 1966.
“The South-South has produced president for six years and also had Deputy Senate President In the outgoing administration.”
“The only zone in the South that has not been favoured is the South-East.
“The South-West has President, the North-East has Vice-President. It is only just that the least position at the moment that can assuage the South-East is given the chance to be the President of the 10th Senate”.
