IN the interest of equality and fairness, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), a socio-political organization, has requested the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the position of Senate President to the South-South geographical zone.
According to a statement from the group’s spokesman, Ken Robinson, it is only “proper” for the ruling party to zone the highly sought-after job to the South-South zone as it has a majority of senators-to-be.
The APC won the majority of the legislative seats during the elections with more than 55 Senate seats out of 109 and more than 160 out of 360 House of Representatives seats,
Numerous APC leaders and incoming lawmakers have shown interest in the highly sought-after position in the red and green chambers. They include, among others, Osita Izunaso, Jibrin Barau, Godswill Akpabio, Dave Umahi, Ahmad Lawan, Ali Ndume, Abdulaziz Yari, and Dave Umahi.
According to Senate Spokesperson Ajibola Bashiru, the party plans to announce its zoning plan after the Ramadan fast.
PANDEF, an organization led by elder statesman Pa Edwin Clark, asserted that the last time a senator from the current South-South States held the position of Senate President was during the 2nd Republic (1979–1983), when the late Senator Joseph Wayas of Cross River State was elected twice—once in October 1979 and again in October 1983—before that Republic was shortened on December 31, 1983.
“In the present dispensation, since 1999, the South-South Zone has not had a turn in the Office of the Senate President. The Region has had stints at the lower levels of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, between 1999 and 2007, under the Rt. Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, and the Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, both from Rivers State. Currently, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, from Delta State, is Deputy Senate President.
“Ostensibly, the South-South Zone has an unassailable reason to step up to the Senate Presidency, after twenty-four years of our current Democratic experience. No contrary arguments can stand against this South-South position.”
The group said the APC leadership cannot be entirely unmindful of the fact that a Muslim Senate President would bring further imperilment to national order, affecting the sorely desired overall stability.
“PANDEF, therefore, implores the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, along with other key stakeholders of the APC, and, indeed, all Senators-elect of all parties, and the party hierarchies, to support the ceding of the incoming Senate Presidency to the South South zone. This is, unarguably, the fair and proper thing to do, at this time of our Country’s political progression,” the statement partly read.
