Northern Groups Urge APC to Pick Deputy Senate President from N’central
* Say senators from N’central, S’west ‘ll determine next Senate leadership
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
A coalition of various groups in northern Nigeria has urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to consider the North-central geopolitical zone for the position of the Deputy Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.
The groups, under the aegis of Almagamation of the All Progressives Congress Northern Forums in Nigeria, made the appeal on Monday in a statement by the Coordinator of the Coalition, Alhaji Habibu Salau, in Abuja.
The pressure groups said since the Senate and Deputy Senate President positions must be shared between the North and the South, the North-central stood a better chance to produce a presiding officer of the red chamber.
Salau specifically said Senator Sani Musa, who is a ranking senator from the North-central geopolitical zone is eminently qualified to be elected either as the Senate President or Deputy.
He said: “If the leadership of the All Progressives Congress decided to zone the position to the South, the deputy Senate President should automatically go to the North-central.
“In fairness, the North-central deserves to produce the next Senate President or Deputy because of the impressive performance of the APC in the zone in the last election going by the numbers of APC senators produced from different geopolitical zones.
“For instance, the South-west produced 15 out of 18 senators; South-south had seven out of 18; South-east with six out of 15; North-central got 10 out of 19; North-east, nine out of 18 and North-west, eight out of 21.
“Aside from party politics, it is obvious that the South-west and North-central senators-elect would determine the next presiding officers of the red chamber of the National Assembly.
“The APC National Working Committee should therefore consider all these factors before embarking on the zoning arrangements for the next leadership of the 10th Senate.”
