Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of Conference of Nigeria Civil Rights Activists (CNCRA), has described as a welcome development, media reports that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, were currently reviewing the 10th National Assembly zoning arrangements earlier released by the APC.
Convener of CNCRA, Pastor Ifeanyi Odili, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, yesterday, said the latest decision by the party and Tinubu showed that the president-elect was a true democrat, who believed in equity, fairness and justice.
The CNCRA said the fact that Tinubu and the elders of the APC were considering to review the zoning arrangements in such a way to accommodate the North Central would calm frayed nerves and instill confidence in the leaders of the zone, who had over the years, exhibited loyalty and commitment to the APC and the president-elect.
The pro-democracy group explained that the North Central deserved a Presiding Officer in the interest of fairness, equity and Justice, adding that the North Central zone had been seriously marginalised in Nigeria since 1999.
Part of the statement read: “The North-Central has been the most marginalised in the country since 1999. The Zone has not produced the president or vice president of the country, and it was only proper that the zone should be allowed to produce the next Deputy Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.
“All the senators-elect from the zone, irrespective of their political parties, ethnic and religious background have spoken with one voice and the entire six governors, have also re-echoed the demands of the Senators.
“It will only be proper and just for the North Central to produce the Deputy Senate President since the North West would produce the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
“The North Central being the largest zone in the country in terms of landmass, has suffered the worst form of insecurity, partly because it lacked adequate representation in the nation’s highest political hierarchy.”
