From Magnus Eze, Enugu, Ndubuisi Orji and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja, Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki, Noah Ebije, Kaduna, Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba, Chinelo Obogo and Sunday Ani

A gale of criticism has trailed the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

Rising from a meeting that spanned several hours, yesterday,  National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, told the press that the ruling party haD zoned the Senate president to South South and specifically anointed Godswill Akpabio.

Morka, flanked by the National Women Leader, Beta Edu and her deputy, Zainab Ibrahim, also said the party favoured Senator Barau Jibrin from the North West as deputy senate president while Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna) and Benjamin Kalu (Abia) were anointed to pilot the affairs of the House of Representatives as Speaker and deputy, respectively.

ADF, Igbo youths kick

Leading Igbo organisation, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) and Coalition of South East Youth Leaders  (COSEYL), in separate interviews, last night slammed the APC for degrading the South East in the zoning of principal positions.

Acting National Secretary of ADF, Abia Onyike, accused the yet to be inaugurated government of Bola Tinubu of taking after the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari administration in the exclusion of the South East in national governance.

Onyike stated that it expected that the South East should be allowed to produce the senate president for power balancing, fairness and justice.

“The zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South South, we are convinced that the Senate Presidency should be domiciled in the South East, in order to have the political balancing required for political stability. There is need for the incoming administration to be based on social justice and equity and we are of the view that for a country such as Nigeria with very deep cleavages, it is incumbent on the government to create a power sharing arrangement that will be all-inclusive.

“And in the case of Nigeria as we speak, the outgoing administration of Muhammadu Buhari did not treat Igbo well and eventually the decision to marginalise Igbo led to all kinds of unforeseen circumstances including the fact that the youths of the area were forced to embark on self-determination struggles, and when the administration made an attempt to stop them by force, it led to the compounding of the security situation in the zone.

“The incoming administration is being advised to make sure these mistakes are not repeated. So, since the presidency has gone to the South West and the Vice Presidency to the North, it is incumbent that the Senate Presidency should go to the South East if we know that there is anything known as the tripod. Because Nigerian politics right from independence had always stood on that tripod and anybody that trivializes  it will be forcing us into trouble and we don’t want trouble to continue,” the ADF scribe stated.

The Igbo youths said zoning of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to South East by the APC, showed that the party did not believe in the unity of Nigeria and the tripod upon which the nation was established by its forefathers.

It’s unnecessary – ACF

President of the Arewa Youth Consutative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima felt the move was not necessary since the National Assembly comprises members from other political parties. “I don’t think it is necessary to do that but if they did so, it is not too good. I would have preferred that the National Assembly members are allowed to elect their own leaders. The issue of Nigeria is not about party, anybody who finds himself in the national assembly must be seen to be above party line; such a person must be seen as a Nigerian that is representing Nigeria. Ordinarily, I would have expected the APC to allow the National Assembly members to decide who will lead them. The idea of anybody appointing anybody to lead others is not right in my own thinking,” he said.

He also argued that to promote national unity and build trust and stability among various ethnic nationalities, the South East should have been allowed to produce the Senate President.

He hinged his argument on the fact that Nigeria is today more divided than it was before 2015 and anything that would promote unity, trust and stability should be encouraged by this government.

MBF, COSYYL react

Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, said his organisation was not interested in what the APC is doing for the president-elect.

“We are not bothered about what they are doing because our support is not for Tinubu and we cannot worry ourselves about what the APC is doing for him. If Peter Obi emerges after the case, we will advise him on what will be beneficial to everybody in Nigeria,” he stated.

Reacting, President General of COSEYL, Goodluck Ibem, alleged that Senator Tinubu has not hidden his disdain for the people of South East which was why the Igbo were massively attacked and killed under his watch in Lagos State during the 2023 elections.

Ibem wondered how a party that did not win election was carrying on with exclusion of the South East, instead of being them close.

The youth leader said: “President Muhammadu Buhari failed woefully because he refused to respect the legs which is the tripod upon which the nation stands which was established by our forefathers who fought for our independence. A child that grows up and suddenly realised that he cannot follow a laid down tradition that has been established before him has planned to failed.

“Though Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not the peoples President-elect but is Professor Mahmood Yakubu President-elect, we have to still tell the APC the truth that their party is totally against the people in all sense of the word.”

APC has nothing to offer zone

Igbo Lawyers Association (ILA), said the zoning formula merely confirmed its fears about the Nigerian government’s eagerness to push the South East, out of the Nigeria project.

It said, the ruling party, which it accused of stealing the Labour Party’s mandate in the February 25 presidential election, never had any good intention for the zone.

ILA Coordinator, Victor Onweremadumade recalled that the same party, under Buhari had refused to see the South East, as a major stakeholder in Nigeria, leading to the president saying he will first consider those that gave him 95 percent votes as against those from whom he got a paltry 5 percent, during the elections.

“When we talk about this, the Nigerian government, has technically pushed the South East, out of the Nigerian project.

“APC has never been any good with dealings with the South East, despite stealing Labour Party’s mandate in the presidential election, it is now moving like a conqueror.

“I feel sorry for our brothers for succumbing in the APC and I have no sympathy for any person hoping to get anything from them,” the ILA Coordinator stated.

He called on the people to unite and fight the common cause of the zone.

Nwoko, Musa fume

Reacting, Senator-elect for Delta North, Ned Nwoko, and his counterpart from Niger East, Sani Musa, said the National Assembly would not accept imposition of leadership by external forces.

The duo spoke to journalists, on the sidelines of the induction programme for newly elected members of the National Assembly, in Abuja.

Nwoko, PDP, said the defining issue for the parliament in the next dispensation is to have an independent leadership. He said the National Assembly members do not want to be pocketed by the executive.

“The defining line for most of us is about the independence of the National Assembly-Senate and House of Reps . I belong to PDP. I belong to different caucuses. So, we are talking. But the overwhelming majority shares same view. That is the only way we can manage the executive. That is the only we can make them do what is right. We don’t want to be pocketed by them.”

Musa said whatever decision anyone outside the National Assembly makes in respect to the leadership is merely advisory.

“Everywhere around the world where there are true democracies, parties make inputs but decision is left with those elected,” he stated.

NNPP yet to decide

Senator-elect, Rufai Hanga (Kano) said his party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), was yet to decide on who to support for the various positions.

He, however, said that he was in support of someone from the South, who is a Christian to occupy the Senate presidency in order to bring balance

“We can’t have the president and vice president as Muslims and also have a Muslim Senate president. That is why I’m in support of making room for a Christian Senate president either from the South East or the South South. However, the NNPP is yet to meet and decide on who to support for thr various positions,” he said. 

Obiora Ifoh, LP Acting National Publicity Secretary

Politics is all about aligning and re-aligning. As at this evening (last night), I hear that Yari, former Zamfara State governor, is teaming up with opposition for him to be the Senate president and projecting somebody from the South East as deputy. So, there is still talks here and there but nobody has settled for anything and remember that at the end of the day, just like what happened sometime ago where the opposition took the battle to the government of the day and elected their choice, it is not about what the APC thinks or want…We are also looking at a Senate Presidency that will listen to the people, do the will of the people, do the work and give the executive better challenges and give them a fight so that they can sit up and do the work, unlike what we had in this sitting Senate Presidency. So Nigerians believe that with the quality of opposition that has been elected this period they will get a better at the National Assembly.

ACF apolitical

The Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Malam Murtala Aliyu has said that as long as National Assembly (NASS) election is concerned, the Forum is apolitical.

To this end, Aliyu said ACF is not in a position to take a stand on who becomes what at the National Assembly.

“We are apolitical, so we cannot decide who becomes what in the country’s politics. We can only recommend quality and competency”. Aliyu said.

When Daily Sun asked him if ACF can recommend Akpabio for the Senate Presidency,  Aliyu said, “It is left for the National Assembly to make their choice, we have no business there because we are not political organisation”

Tinubu’ll compensate S’ East -Umahi

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, yesterday expressed strong optimism that the  President-elect, Bola Tinubu, would compensate the Southeast geopolitical zone with other tangible positions for sacrificing the Senate Presidency seat.

Umahi gave the assurance at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Onueke, Ebonyi state  shortly after arriving the state from Abuja.

The Governor was away on a one week official tour within the country.

Umahi who told Journalists that he decided to step-down his senate Presidency ambition for Senator Godswill Akpabio, emphasized that he did so in the overall interest of the country.

He expressed confidence in the incoming President’s favourable disposition to give the South East other juicy positions in his government.

Senator’ll chose leaders

Former Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio, who spoke, shortly before the APC zoning formula became public, said the senators would decide who their leader, in the 10th assembly, will be. Regardless, he posited that there should be cooperation between the ruling party and the lawmakers.

Akpabio said: “the lawmakers are going to be the ones choosing the next Senate President. When you talk about the fact that there should be independence, I believe that there should be cooperation between the parties and the lawmakers.

“And once a leadership is put in place, there should be collaboration between the leadership and the parliament to ensure a smooth administration. We are all mutually dependent on one another whilst at the same time exercising our constitutional independence. But on the whole, I believe that we can only get better. As the democracy matures, the legislature should get better.”