From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
A pressure group, South-South Women Compatriots, has charged President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to speak out on the zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly, in the 10th Assembly.
The group said this has become necessary owing to insinuations that the President-elect is behind the endorsement of former Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio, as All Progressives Congress,(APC) preferred candidate for the position of Senate President in the 10th Senate.
The APC recently named Akpabio, Jibrin Barau, Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu as its choice for the positions of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Deputy Speaker respectively.
However, the women’s group, in a press statement, at a press briefing, on Monday, in Abuja, said they were opposed to Akpabio’s bid to become President of the 10th Senate because he is allegedly not gender friendly.
The group, in the statement signed by Imma Ubong, National Women Leader, urged Tinubu not to allow the support of women across the country for him during the presidential election to be in vain.
“During the presidential election, we came out en masse to vote for the President-elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
We call on His Excellency, Ahmed Bola Tinubu to come out and tell Nigerians his position because some reports have been alleging that he is the one behind Akpabio. He should tell Nigerians now.
“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 this Akpabio.
“We are calling on the President-elect, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescind his decision of anointing the person of Akpabio if it is true,” the group stated.