…Pleads with Northern Senators-elect to elect Akpabio for religious harmony
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has thrown his weight behind his ruling party on micro-zoning arrangement for the position of Senate President to a South South aspirant, Godswill Akpabio, ahead of the election for the 10th National Assembly principal officers.
The ex-spokesperson for the party further argued that the recent development in the polity has further given credence to why the South South geopolitical zone should produce the next Senate President.
Reacting to the intervention by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima on Sunday which resulted in the withdrawal of two major contenders from the position of Speakership, Nabena pleaded with Northern Senators-elect to elect Akpabio.
In a statement he issued on Monday in Abuja, Nabena argued that it has become clearer that the North cannot have both the Vice President, the Speaker, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Senate President at the same time.
According to him, the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket of the President and the Vice President is another genuine factor that should be considered and rally support for the only candidate from the South-south, Senator Akpabio as the next Senate President because Nigeria is a secular state.
“For the sake of equity, justice and fairness, I will appeal to all the Senators-elect to rally round Akpabio to emerge the next Senate President.
“This has become necessary because the two major contenders in the race for the position of Speaker have withdrawn and declared their support for Tajudeen Abbas, which means that the road is almost clear for the emergence of another Muslim from the North as number four citizen.
“Therefore, there is need for religious balancing in government and for the fact that only South South will be left out of equation if the position of Senate President elude the region, hence the more reason Senators-elect should rally support for Akpabio as the next Senate President.
“As it stands today, the South West has produced the President, the North East has the Vice President, the North West is about to produce the Speaker, (Note that the three of them are Muslims), the North Central has the SGF and the South East to produce the Deputy Speaker. So, where is the South South?” Nabena queried.
The APC chieftain also begged the North; “to forgive Senator Akpabio if he has done anything wrong in the past for the sake of national unity and religion harmony by allowing the former Akwa-Ibom governor to emerge the next Senate President.”