From Sola Ojo, Noah Ebije, Kaduna, Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Ndubuisi Orji, Okwe Obi, Abuja and Stanley Uzoaru Owerri
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter, has cautioned the political class not to use the ongoing debates on who would head the National Assembly to further divide Nigerians.
Its Chairman, Rev. John Hayab in a statement, yesterday, said the association has been following development in the race for the leadership of next National Assembly with dismay.
He described some of the messages coming from contestants and their supporters as capable of creating rift between the north and south and between Christians and Muslims.
He advised all interested persons in the race not to allow their quest further split Nigerians along ethnic, regional, or religious lines.
He said CAN believes Nigeria’s elected representatives, both from the upper and lower chambers, were politically mature and responsible enough to do what would make Nigeria great by choosing from among them competent leaders with good experience to do the needed task while respecting regional and religious affiliations.
“However, some of the inciting messages now going rounds could create unnecessarily rife between the South and North; Christian versus Muslim should be disregarded and halted without delay. CAN as a body has earlier advocated for fairness before the general elections and believes strongly that a fair and just Nigeria is beneficial to Nigeria’s unity and growth.
“CAN, therefore, appeals to the political class to discontinue any action that could further divide Nigerians, rather, the elected representative needs to promote matters that could support the citizenry to attain the goals of a unified nation.
“Those who eventually become leaders of the National Assembly must be lawmakers who would guide their colleagues to make laws for the common good of the country not as representatives of their regional or religious enclaves. To attain a cohesive nation, CAN will pray and work for the unity, peace, and progress of Nigeria as speaks truth to power.
“Therefore, as we pray for a peaceful inauguration of the next administration come May 29, CAN strongly appeal to the political class to consider the entire country as their most important constituency, rather than promote primordial sentiments that lead to no development at all,” he said.
•Women group tasks Tinubu on zoning
A group, South South Women Compatriots, has charged President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to speak out on the zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly by the APC.
It said this has become necessary owing to insinuations that the President-elect was behind the endorsement of former Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio, as preferred candidate for the position of Senate President.
The ruling party recently named Akpabio, Jibrin Barau, Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu as its choices for the positions of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Deputy Speaker respectively.
However, the women group, in a statement, yesterday, by Imma Ubong, in Abuja, said they were opposed to Akpabio’s bid to become senate president claiming he’s not gender friendly.
“We the Nigerian women find it disheartening that the name of the President-elect will be peddled as having endorsed Akpabio. We don’t want to believe that his silence means consent. The President-elect as a matter of urgency must come out to dissociate himself from Akpabio.”
The group demanded that Tinubu rescind his decision of anointing Akpabio for the position, if the speculations were true.
•Igbo youths insist on Senate president
Igbo youths, under the aegis of Coalition of the South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), have insisted that the position of senate president be zoned to the South East.
It described the deputy speaker slot zoned to the South East by the APC, as embarrassing and insult.
President General of COSEYL, Goodluck Ibem, at a press conference, yesterday, said the zone would not accept anything less than the senate presidency.
“Giving the Igbo the seventh position at a time when after eight years in office, no Igbo person had been in the principal positions of the ninth Assembly or had been appointed to top positions of the military and other security agencies nor in the NNPC and elsewhere under the APC-led Federal Government is exclusionary. This represents an insult and affront on the Igbo and what we represent as a group. In the history of Nigeria, the Igbo have never been consigned nor relegated to irrelevance as is being done now, and it beats our imagination that some faceless group will accept this for pecuniary gains…
“Nine years after the civil war, an Igbo son, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, was elected as vice president under the NPN. In 1999, upon the return to democracy in the current republic (Fourth Republic), the Igbo were awarded the third position as a senate president and have continued to hold offices like that of the army chief, manning the economy and finance of the nation until the current APC government.”
•G-7 not against Tinubu –Northern group
Meanwhile, a northern group, Tinubu/Shettima for Greater Nigeria (TSGN), has clarified that the G-7 was not against the President-elect, in the selection of presiding officers for the House of Representatives.
G-7 is made up of aspirants for the speakership contest in the House of Representatives who are oppose to the zoning formula of the APC.
TSGN National President, Negedu Miringi and Secretary, Suleiman Ahmed, in a statement, yesterday, accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, of orchestrating the impasse.
They advised Tinubu to be wary of Gbajabiamila, warning he would destroy the incoming administration with his desperation to impose unpopular candidates on members.
•Reps’ll be more stable under Abbas –NDRA
However, the Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA) said the House of Representatives under Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker will be more stable and productive.
In a statement by Bright Ngolo, the group stressed the need for Nigerians not to fall for the age-long debate of zoning, religion, class or age which it described as sentiments and gimmicks crafted by political oppressors to continuously hold down the oppressed.
It argued that the beauty of democracy is in the separation of powers and the legislature should remain the bastion of democracy by maintaining it’s position as voice of the electorate.
It stressed that the Nigerian-styled democracy needs to strike a balance between legislative activism and achieving results in the overall interest of a largely under-developed populace and economy.
“We cannot talk about the leadership of the most important arm of the National Assembly, which aggregates the totality of our diversities as a people, without talking about getting a leadership that will prioritize the needs of the long suffering and marginalized people whether they are found in the Niger Delta or Benue or Kafanchan or Kaura Namode.”
•North Central deserves DSP –Group
A coalition of APC, Geopolitical Zones Support Groups North West Zone, has called for the inclusion of the North Central in leadership positions of the National Assembly, saying the zone deserves the Deputy Senate President slot.
The group said including the North Central has become imperative for fairness, justice and equity to reign in the country.
Addressing a press conference, yesterday, Coordinator, North West of the group, Abubakar Bagwai, and Secretary, Bello Musa Kubau, said the North Central deserves the position of deputy Senate president considering the performance of the region in the 2023 general elections.
They pleaded with the President-elect, Tinubu, to listen to their pleas and do the needful by ensuring the Deputy Senate President is zoned to the North Central.
“In the spirit of fairness, equity, justice, inclusiveness and national unity, we hereby call on the APC national working committee and President-elect, Bola Tinubu to review the national assembly leadership zoning arraignment to include North Central, so as to give each section of the county a sense of belonging. There shouldn’t be favourism or preference to any section of the country. And no region should be marginalised, excluded, or sidelined.
•Coalition advises APC NWC against zoning principal offices
The Coalition of Progressives APC Stakeholders has advised the party`s National Working Committee (NWC) to discard the purported zoning and micro-zoning of principal officers of the incoming 10th National Assembly.
National Coordinator of the coalition, Dr. Alfred Gbaja, said the offices should be left open for all Senators and House of Representatives members- elect to vote for the most credible members as one among equal.
He called on the President-elect to see all APC Senators as his own who were elected to support his incoming administration.
He said Nigeria needed a leader who was ready to confront challenges and change same to the advantage of Nigerians.
He said it was regrettable that some APC members had depended solely on religious balancing in producing the next Senate President without recourse to competence, credibility, and capacity.
He said some members-elect believed that since the President-elect and the Vice-President were Muslims, the Senate president must be a Christian.
“We strongly disagree with that school of thought because in the recent past when Dr Goodluck Jonathan was the President.
“The Senate President, Sen. David Mark, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, Secretary to the government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, were all Christian by faith. Yet no Muslim complained because governance differs from religion. Today in Nigeria’s history, we face the hard reality of how to build a nation free of terrorism, poverty, banditry, unknown gunmen and a host of other disasters while we confront climate change.”
Gbaja stressed that Nigeria currently required a tested and trusted leader, with proven track records of good governance who would complement the executive as the 10th Senate President.
He said the coalition had been in search for a senator-elect devoid of ethnicity, religion, and tribal sentiment, an individual who was ready to serve the country.
He added that such an individual must put the benefit of the people above his personal interest, as well nation building as his priority.
Gbaja said the coalition saw these qualities in Sen. Abdulaziz Yari, a former two-term governor of Zamfara and a frontline Senate President aspirant.
He said that the coalition was therefore endorsing Yari because of his good conscience, saying that his development expertise was beyond comparison.
He further added that Yari had distinguished himself over the years as a unifier who believed in the country’s unity and development.