Senate Presidency: N’Central Senators-elect Write APC Chair, Reject Zoning

•Opposition’ll resist Tinubu’s imposition, says Kawu

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Senators-elect across the North-Central geopolitical zone from different political parties, have rejected the zoning arrangements for the 10th National Assembly leadership positions announced by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday.

The APC had in the zoning plans, endorsed Senator Godswill Akpabio from the South-South geopolitical zone as the President of the 10th Senate while Senator Barau Jibrin from the North-West was picked as his deputy.

Also in the House of Representatives, the APC endorsed Tajudeen Abass from the North-West as the Speaker and Benjamin Kalu from the South-East as deputy.

The development forced the North Central senators-elect to write an open letter to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, and rejected the zoning arrangements because it excluded their region.

Specifically, the elected federal lawmakers said only the North Central geopolitical zone did not produce any presiding officer despite the fact that neither the president-elect nor the Vice president-elect Elect was from their zone.

The letter by the lawmakers-elect was titled: “Resolution of the North Central Caucus of the 10th Senate on NASS Leadership Zoning” and signed by 18 senators-elect including,  Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East), Senator Ashiru Oyelola Yisa (Kwara South),Senator Sadiq Umar Suleiman (Kwara North), Senator-elect Mustapha Saliu (Kwara Central) and Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East).

Others were Senator Abba Moro (Benue South); Senator Godiya Akwashiki (Nassarawa North), Senator-elect Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (Nassarawa West), Senator-elect Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Senator-elect Sunday Karimi Steve (Kogi West), Senator-elect Ohere Sadiku Abubakar (Kogi Central) and Senator-elect Peter Ndalikali Jiya (Niger South).

There were also Senator-elect Napoleon Binkap Bali (Plateau South), Senator-elect Mwadkion Simon Davou (Plateau North), Senator-elect Diket Plang (Plateau Central),Senator-elect Mohammed O. Onawo (Nassarawa South), Senator-elect Emmanuel M. Udende (Benue East) and Senator-elect Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue West).

Part of the letter read: “We the North Central Senators-elect Caucus met on Monday the 8th May 2023 and resolved as follows: That the North Central as a geopolitical zone in Nigeria has paid its dues in the political stability of the country and shall continue to do so, but where we see open denial of our rights and privileges, we will have no option than to voice out in the interest of the zone and it’s people we represent.

“It is pertinent to know that we are fully committed to supporting the incoming administration of the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a better Nigeria. This can only happen if fairness, equity and justice are ensured. It is on record that the North Central gave the APC 41 per cent of her votes to victory, hence we  equally deserves as others.

“Our caucus reviewed the proposed zoning structure released, and we are  not pleased and comfortable with the allocation of the Positions of the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th National Assembly to a particular geopolitical zone of the country (North-West), we hereby reject it. The convention has always been that the six geopolitical zones of the country will have one each of the six positions.”

Meanwhile, Senator-elect from Kano South Senatorial District on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Suleiman Ismaila Kawu, has warned Tinubu to avoid sycophants from deceiving him to taking a wrong decision on the National Assembly leadership issue.

Kawu, who addressed journalists in Abuja, yesterday, said the only way the 10th National Assembly lawmakers could face the challenges facing the country was to  have the Constitution as their guidance, noting that a majority of the lawmakers-elect were already discussing to work against the zoning arrangements announced by the APC.

“We are in touch with 109 senators and I will assure you that we have a serious number to stop imposition in the Senate or in the House of Representatives. Yesterday the House showed Nigerians a lesson. We are consultation and politics is a game of number, it’s a game of persuasion, interface and we are doing it. We will cross the bridge when we get there.

“I am advising the President-elect, that as a democrat, we learnt a lot from him. He was in forefront in fighting Obasanjo for this democracy. We were with him when we stopped Jonathan from installing leadership in the House of Representatives. Some of your sons are still in the National Assembly and we know that you are very consistent in terms of democracy and you are very consistent with the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”