Some concerned All Progressives Congress (APC) members have asked the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the National Working Committee (NWC) to consider the federal character in the zoning of principal offices in the 10th National Assembly.
Competence is another virtue the party chieftains have asked the leadership to consider as race for the leadership position of the Red and Green chamber heightens.
There are speculations that President-elect, Bola Tinubu and some APC stakeholders have resolved to support Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, for the presidency of the 10th Senate.
The claims have, though, been dismissed by some party stakeholders.
Addressing the press in Abuja on Saturday, April 29, the Convener of the Concerned APC Members Forum, Okpokwu Ogenyi, expressed concerns that having come this far after the party’s victory in the general elections, it was only fair for it to play by the rule of equity and federal character.
He said, “As believers in the Nigerian project, our appeal to the party is to consider federal character in the zoning of the 10th Senate leadership bearing in mind competence and credibility with an understanding that Nigeria is a secular state with multiple faiths and six geopolitical zones.
“The president-elect needs highly competent senators with vast knowledge of legislative business to complement him in delivering dividends of democracy to Nigerians. We are aware that zoning is not done in a vacuum.”
OsunDaily News reports that his comment is coming two days after the president-elect met with APC governors and advised them to work with the party’s leadership and lawmakers to elect principal officers of the National Assembly.
SDP Calls For Order
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has called for non-interference in the National Assembly leadership selection process.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Rufus Aiyenigba, while speaking with The PUNCH during the weekend, said it is within the legislature’s purview to determine its rules and processes and that anything that is imposed on the members will not augur well.
The SDP admonished the National Assembly to be guided by genuine national interest, the credibility of the emerging leadership, and the capacity to deliver.
Aiyenigba said: “It is within the purview of the National Assembly to determine what they want. They have their processes and they have their rules, but we always say they should be guided by true national interest, trying to impose anything on them from outside may not augur well, but we can guide them.
“What is important is the credibility of the leadership that will emerge and the capacity to deliver and to protect the true national interest of Nigeria; religion and zoning are not issues that matter.”
