Wilson Adekumola
The All Progressives Congress, National Vice Chairman for North-west, Comrade Salihu Lukman urged the leadership of the party to zone the position of Senate president to the South-South to compensate them for their performance during the elections.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Lukman said the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee should intensify its efforts in driving the process of negotiating leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
He reasoned that if the activity of the contest was not well regulated the leadership of the 10th National Assembly could produce another Muslim as Senate President.
The party Chieftain noted that the laid-back attitude of the NWC has produced embarrassing situations of public disagreement with the National Chairman over the issue of a consensus Presidential candidate before the party’s Presidential Primary in June 2022.
Lukman pointed out that the situation of the leadership that would be resuming office on May 29, 2023, was similar to that of 1999.
He said in 1999, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar respectively were from South-West and North-East.
He explained further that, the Senate President was from the South-East and Deputy Senate President from North-Central, while the National Chairman of the ruling party was from North-Central which could be put into consideration.
Lukman also said that in the House of Representatives, the Speaker was from North-West and Deputy Speaker was from South-South, while other positions in the leadership of the National Assembly were distributed accordingly to other zones.
While noting that there is need to douse the religious tension in the country, Lukman said, given the challenge of neutralizing religious crisis in the country, this would appear to allay the feelings of people.
According to him, “For instance, if the Senate President is to come from the South-East, he would certainly be a Christian. The only problem is the experience of 1999 – 2003, which highlighted problems of instability with the South-East holding the position of Senate President. Also, as at 1999, the South-East strongly voted for the PDP to emerge as the ruling party. The same could not be said today.
“Perhaps, to avoid that, and to compensate the South-South, which gave more votes to the APC, including winning the Governorship election in Cross River and majority members of the Edo State House of Assembly, consideration can be given for the South-South to produce the Senate President.”
The APC Vice National Chairman noted that as the ruling party has to provide political leadership to the country for the next four years, everything must be put in order to build the confidence of Nigerians.
