The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) recommends that the All Progressives Congress (APC) zone the senate presidency to the south-south region.
Since the region has not produced a senate president since 1983, according to the sociopolitical group, the office of the third citizen should be allocated to the south-south.
Several senators, including Godswill Akpabio, a senator from the south-south, have declared their desire to lead the tenth assembly.
Jibrin Barau (Kano Central), Sani Musa (Niger East), Orji Kalu (Abia North), Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Peter Ndubueze (Imo North), Abdul’Aziz Yari (Zamfara West), Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), and Ali Ndume (Borno South) are all candidates for the position of senate president.
TheCable reported that a group of former and current members of the national assembly had requested that the APC nominate Godswill Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa Ibom, for the position of senate president.
According to PANDEF spokesman Ken Robinson, relocating the senate president’s office to the south-south is the “fair and proper” thing to do.
“After twenty-four years of our contemporary democratic experience, the south-south region has an unassailable case for running for the presidency of the Senate. “There are no counterarguments to this south-south position,” he stated.
“PANDEF implores the president-elect, senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, along with other key stakeholders of the APC, and, indeed, all senators-elect of all parties, as well as the party hierarchies, to support the transfer of the incoming senate presidency to the south-south zone. At this point in our nation’s political evolution, this is unquestionably the right and just thing to do.
“While concurring in part with the progressive governors’ forum and other individuals’ positions on the subject, PANDEF is troubled by some of the names reported in the media as having expressed interest in the senate presidency in particular.
“In the national interest, PANDEF, as a body of patriots and demonstrated committed stakeholders in the Nigerian project, is compelled to issue this timely advice. Therefore, urges politicians to learn from recent political events and demonstrate greater statesmanship and patriotism when devising the leadership of the 10th national assembly.”