NASS leadership: APC NWC member backs south South for Senate presidentt
· Says S’east don’t deserve seat
By Oguwuike Nnadi
As he race for the leadership of the National Assembly hots up, the national Vice Chairman, North west of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has advised the party not to zone senate president position to the South east geo political zone
Lukman, who said the South east did not give enough votes to the APC during the just concluded general election however backed the South south zone to produce the senate president in the 10th assembly, adding that the South east is only good for office of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, based on their contributions to the success of the party in the elections
It would be recalled two senators from the South east, former of Abia state, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and incumbent governor of Ebonyi state, Dave Umahi, have declared interest in the senate plum office
There are also interests from Senator Jubril Barau (Kano North) Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East) and former Akwa Ibom state governor Godswil Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North west)
Lukman argued further that the South east never supported the party in the 2023 general elections like the South south did, adding that the NWC must take the decisions to emerge from the debate by party organs at various levels, as the conclusions reached will constitute the party’s position on any matter which will then be binding on all the members of the party from the President to every member.
The former Directtor General of the A{PC Governors Forum, who made his position in a ststement he titled ÄPC and Task of Negotiating 10th NASS Leadership,” said, “The APC NWC led by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu need to become more aggressive in driving the process of negotiating leadership of the 10th National Assembly. Laidback attitude of the NWC being the administrative organ of the party has produced the embarrassing situations of public disagreement with the National Chairman over the issue of consensus Presidential candidate before the party’s Presidential Primary in June 2022. It is also responsible for some of the disagreements between some members of the NWC with the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) before the 2023 elections.
“This public appeal has become necessary given the flood of aspirants for leadership of the 10th National Assembly, which if left to continue unregulated could throw up unexpected people in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
“As a concerned party member and leader, I make this appeal conscious of where we are coming from.
“Dousing ethnic and religious tension in the country will require sacrifices on the part of all of us both as leaders and members of APC. Without going into the details of the sacrifices required, we certainly would need to invoke the powers of superior organs of the party where all proposals could be tabled, debated and decisions taken, which should be binding on everyone, including elected representatives in the National Assembly.”
While making case for A South south Senate president, Lukman argued that the APC received more votes from the zone as against the South east, who he said voted for the Labour Party during the elections
“Perhaps, to avoid that, and to compensate the South-South, which gave more votes to the APC, including winning the governorship election in Cross River and majority members of the Edo State House of Assembly, consideration can be given for the South-South to produce the Senate President.
“If that is to be considered, then the position of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives should be given to the South-East. All these are issues to be debated, around which a decision would have to be taken one way or the other. Once there is a decision, it will be binding on everyone,” he posited
