Senate Presidency: CSOs Tackle Lukman, Says North-west Will Have Nothing After Buhari’s Exit

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The North-west geopolitical zone that produced the highest votes for the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be left with nothing after President Muhammadu Buhari’s exit next month unless it gets the senate presidency.

This was revealed by a Coalition for Advance Democracy (COAD) while reacting to the statement credited to the National Vice Chairman, North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Salihu Lukman, where he said that it is unethical for senators-elect from the North-west zone to aspire for the senate presidency.

The coalition of CSOs drawn from 36 states of the federation and the FCT said contrary to Lukman’s claims, there is nothing unconstitutional or unethical in the North-west region producing the next senate president.

Speaking after an emergency meeting held in Abuja, the convener of the coalition Malam Yousouf Zulkiflu said Mr Lukman’s intervention is “grossly unfounded and bereft of empirical evidence.”

“We found it seriously appalling for the APC North-west National Vice Chairman to embark on such unnecessary religious and ethnic tirade at a time Nigeria is trying to move ahead. Nigerians have trooped out to vote for the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima ticket without considering their religious affiliations,” the coalition said.

The coalition added: “It is unfortunate for Lukman to seek to disenfranchise the Northwest for giving President-elect Bola Tinubu the highest votes in the February 25 presidential elections.”

He said the Northwest deserves the number three slot having contributed 30.0 percent of votes in the presidential election.

According to the leader of the CSOs, “What is the justification for Mr Lukman’s warped reasoning of rooting for the zoning of Senate Presidency to Southeast or Southsouth which contributed only 1.45 percent and 9.10 percent to Asiwaju Tinubu respectively?”

The CSOs said it’ll be unfortunate for the ruling APC to deny the Northwest the number three position despite its painstaking efforts of delivering astounding victory to Tinubu/Shettima ticket.

“Who is Mr Lukman working for? Why is he working against the North-west? Is it a crime to garner highest votes for Asiwaju Tinubu? All these questions require urgent answers,” Mr Zulkiflu said.

The coalition said Lukman is blinded by some cynical irredentism that he forgot that in 1978, “the NPN formed a government with a Muslim president, Christian vice president, Christian senate president and Christian House of Reps speaker. At the same time, except President Shehu Shagari, his deputy Alex Ekwueme, Senate President Joseph Wayas, Speaker Ume Ezeoke and NPN national chairman Alhaji Adisa Akinkiye, were all southerners. The NPN had ran the country with majority Christians and majority Southerners heading most exalted positions and the heaven didn’t fall,” the coalition said.

The coalition said: “Mr Lukman’s misguided utterances that seek collective punishment of the Northwest – the zone that lays the golden eggs – is not only reprehensible, uncalled for, but capable of diminishing the huge fortunes of the party in the largest geo-political zone in the country.”

The CSOs said the Northwest is blessed with veteran and productive politicians such as Senator Abdulaziz Yari to occupy the number three position.

The coalition urged the national leadership of the APC to disregard the primitive reasoning of Mr Lukman, by quickly zoning the senate presidency to the Northwest.

“Zoning the senate presidency to the Northwest will ensure justice, fairness, equity and fair play in the APC. With the current political algorithm in the APC, the senate presidency should be zoned to the Northwest- that is the surest way of engendering tranquility and mutuality among the political flora and fauna in the ruling party’s ecosystem,” the coalition said.