April 12, 2023

Senate Spokesperson, Ajibola Bashiru says the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) will take a decision on zoning the leadership of the 10th National Assembly at the end of the Ramadan fast.

“I believe that our party will ultimately take a decision on the zoning possibly after Ramadan and certainly before June when the next Assembly will be convoked,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday.

According to him, some of the parameters to be considered for the emergence of the next Senate President and the next Speaker of the House of Representatives include ranking, competence, capacity, religion, zonal contribution to the victory of Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential poll, amongst others.

“It will be in the best interest of our party to zone the offices so that we can narrow the number of contestants because when you have eight persons from a single political party contesting, it creates a problem for us to having a cohesive force going into the election,” the APC lawmaker stated.

The APC won majority of the legislative seats during the elections with over 55 Senate seats out of 109 and over 160 out of 360 House of Representatives seats.

Many APC chieftains and legislative member-elect have expressed interest in the highly coveted positions in the red and green chambers. They include: Orji Kalu, Jibrin Barau, Godswill Akpabio, Dave Umahi, Ahmad Lawan, Ali Ndume, Abdulaziz Yari, Osita Izunaso, amongst others.

‘APC NEC, NWC Yet To Take Decision On Zoning’
Bashiru said any of the Senators-elect are competent to be presiding officers over the National Assembly. He, however, said the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has not taken any decision yet on which of the six geopolitical zone will produce the next Senate President.

He said, “I’m not aware that the NWC of our party has taken a position on the issue of zoning and where the zoning will be done.

“I’m not aware that the NEC of our party has taken any decision but party leaders will be making a lot of permutations to ensure a seamless relationship between the executive and the legislative arms.”

Bashiru, who lost his re-election bid into the Senate to represent Osun Central in the February 25 poll, said the President-Elect will act “statesmanly” on the matter of the 10th NASS and will have respect for the diversity and heterogeneity of the Nigerian society.

On the variables that will be considered by the APC in who becomes the next Senate President and Speaker of the green chamber, the lawmaker said, “The leadership of the party as well as the members of the 10th Assembly will have to look at so many variables.

“For instance, arguments may be canvassed like the religious argument that the President is a Muslim, the Vice-President is a Muslim, will it not be reasonable to have a Christian as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and you cannot which away such argument particularly when you see the divisive nature that politics has taken in recent time in Nigeria.

“You may also look at the North-West (geopolitical zone) which has produced the bulk of the votes by which we won the Presidency. Will you discountenance their contribution?” he queried.

He also said the party may also consider the South-South as an emerging strong base for the party because the party did well from the zone in the last elections.

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