10th Assembly: North Central Group Urges Tinubu to Ensure Equity, Fairness in Zoning

Udora Orizu in Abuja 

Stakeholders in the All Progressive Congress, APC from North Central region of the country have kicked against the adoption of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, as the next Speaker.

The national leadership of the party had at a meeting in Abuja on Friday resolved to endorse former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio as the party’s candidate for the Senate Presidency and Abbas as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

But the group, at a press conference in Abuja, Sunday kicked against the decision, saying that in the spirit of fairness and equity, the Speakership position should be zoned to the North Central.

The group convener, Rev. Dominic Alancha, lamented that Nigeria at the moment needs balancing, hence every region should be factored in leadership positions so they will feel a sense of inclusiveness.

He said the north central is disappointed and to are protesting the decision of the APC Leadership to zone two Presiding  Positions Deputy Senate President and Speaker in the 10th National Assembly in favour of the Northwest to the total exclusion of the North Central and other zones in the country.

While urging the President-elect Tinubu to intervene, he opined that if Tinubu wants to succeed then north central shouldn’t be taken for granted.

He therefore warns that the exclusion may lead to a repeat of 2015 in which Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, emerged against the party’s arrangement.

Alancha added that in terms of getting votes for the APC in the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections, North Central did far better than the Northwest.

He said, “We are again compelled to invoke our mandate to address you this morning due to an anomaly we have detected in the direction  APC leadership in the country is taking in the course of zoning key offices in the 10th Assembly which we feel may not augur well for our democracy. Having won the 2023 presidential elections fair and square, we had expected the Leadership of APC to be guided by the principle of justice and fairness in zoning leadership positions in the parliament and had thought that factors like commitment to the success of the party, level of contributions and the need for fairness, Equity and justice to all would guide the decision. What we have seen emerging from the decision of the APC however, is a situation of total disregard to Justice Equity and fairness where personal interests has been put forward thereby bringing chaos and conflict in a situation that would have otherwise gone smoothly if national interest has been the guiding principle.

“While the decision of the APC leaders to zone the Senate Presidency to the South South and the Deputy Senate Presidency to the North West conforms to the expectations of most Nigerians because it takes care of zones that are yet to be represented in the composition of the leadership of the next administration we cannot say the same for the zoning of other leadership positions for the 10th Assembly. We therefore take strong exceptions to the bid to zone the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North West zone because that will imply undue favouritism, lack of fairness and the marginalisation of other zones.

“Because, while the North West will go home with two key positions in the National Assembly, the North Central and the South East would be totally excluded from the leadership of the 10th  National Assembly. This to us seems to be a deliberate act of provocation to the North Central zone which has contributed so much to the success of the APC as a party and to the victory of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In the last elections, the North Central apart from giving the APC presidential ticket an overwhelming number of votes,  gave a greater number of parliamentary and governorship seats to the APC.The APC won in Kwara, Niger, Benue and Kogi in the presidential elections and in the governorship elections, the North-central with six states gave the APC the four states of Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kwara, while that of Kogi which is still in the hands of the APC is pending meaning it lost only one state to the opposition parties.”

10th Assembly: North Central Group Urges Tinubu to Ensure Equity, Fairness in Zoning

Udora Orizu in Abuja 

Stakeholders in the All Progressive Congress, APC from North Central region of the country have kicked against the adoption of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, as the next Speaker.

The national leadership of the party had at a meeting in Abuja on Friday resolved to endorse former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio as the party’s candidate for the Senate Presidency and Abbas as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

But the group, at a press conference in Abuja, Sunday kicked against the decision, saying that in the spirit of fairness and equity, the Speakership position should be zoned to the North Central.

The group convener, Rev. Dominic Alancha, lamented that Nigeria at the moment needs balancing, hence every region should be factored in leadership positions so they will feel a sense of inclusiveness.

He said the north central is disappointed and to are protesting the decision of the APC Leadership to zone two Presiding  Positions Deputy Senate President and Speaker in the 10th National Assembly in favour of the Northwest to the total exclusion of the North Central and other zones in the country.

While urging the President-elect Tinubu to intervene, he opined that if Tinubu wants to succeed then north central shouldn’t be taken for granted.

He therefore warns that the exclusion may lead to a repeat of 2015 in which Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, emerged against the party’s arrangement.

Alancha added that in terms of getting votes for the APC in the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections, North Central did far better than the Northwest.

He said, “We are again compelled to invoke our mandate to address you this morning due to an anomaly we have detected in the direction  APC leadership in the country is taking in the course of zoning key offices in the 10th Assembly which we feel may not augur well for our democracy. Having won the 2023 presidential elections fair and square, we had expected the Leadership of APC to be guided by the principle of justice and fairness in zoning leadership positions in the parliament and had thought that factors like commitment to the success of the party, level of contributions and the need for fairness, Equity and justice to all would guide the decision. What we have seen emerging from the decision of the APC however, is a situation of total disregard to Justice Equity and fairness where personal interests has been put forward thereby bringing chaos and conflict in a situation that would have otherwise gone smoothly if national interest has been the guiding principle.

“While the decision of the APC leaders to zone the Senate Presidency to the South South and the Deputy Senate Presidency to the North West conforms to the expectations of most Nigerians because it takes care of zones that are yet to be represented in the composition of the leadership of the next administration we cannot say the same for the zoning of other leadership positions for the 10th Assembly. We therefore take strong exceptions to the bid to zone the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North West zone because that will imply undue favouritism, lack of fairness and the marginalisation of other zones.

“Because, while the North West will go home with two key positions in the National Assembly, the North Central and the South East would be totally excluded from the leadership of the 10th  National Assembly. This to us seems to be a deliberate act of provocation to the North Central zone which has contributed so much to the success of the APC as a party and to the victory of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In the last elections, the North Central apart from giving the APC presidential ticket an overwhelming number of votes,  gave a greater number of parliamentary and governorship seats to the APC.The APC won in Kwara, Niger, Benue and Kogi in the presidential elections and in the governorship elections, the North-central with six states gave the APC the four states of Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kwara, while that of Kogi which is still in the hands of the APC is pending meaning it lost only one state to the opposition parties.”