Senate President: Group Canvasses Support for Akpabio, Asks APC to Consider South South
Senate President: Group Canvasses Support for Akpabio, Asks APC to Consider South SouthAs the curtains on the Presidential and National Assembly elections have been drawn and the nation looking forward to welcoming a new government in May, clamours for a Senate President from the southern extraction have taken the centre stage with different social and political organisations and personalities from the North and South leading the packs of the agitations.
A group advocating for a Godswill Akpabio Senate Presidency, SGA 10, has said in the spirit of equity and fairness, the Senate president seat should be zoned to the South South. This, they also stressed that Southern Christian should be considered since the President-elect who is the Head of the Executive arm, the Vice President-elect, the Chief Justice of Nigeria who is also the head of the judiciary are Muslims.
The group also stated that since the hierarchy of the Republic are already Muslims and the probability of the next speaker of the House of Representatives being a Muslim is high, in the spirit of equity, the number 3 citizen should be a Christian.
In a release on Wednesday by the Convener, Akinloye Oyeniyi, in Abuja, the group urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to consider the diversity of the country in zoning the Senate President seat to the South since the probability of the Speaker of the House of Representatives probability of coming from the North is very high.
The Convener of the group stated that the South South should be considered as the zone to produce the next Senate President since the South East has at all times produced more Senate Presidents than any other zones in the country; and that the President-elect having being from the South West, it will be considered pure justice if the South South is considered to produce the next Senate President.
Oyeniyi, who further described Senator Godswill Akpabio as someone with verifiable competence, loved by the citizens and acceptable to all blocs necessary for nation building, said the lawmaker should be considered.
The Legislative Expert and Public Affairs Analyst in his words said; “Akpabio’s uncommon performance as the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State and as a principal officer in the 8th Senate that was widely adjudged to be the most productive, most people oriented and most effective Senate in our recent history, placed him above every other contestants for the position.
“We also believe that having served at both the executive and legislative levels and performed creditably well, will save the entire National Assembly recurring hostility between both arms and thereby leading to proper independency of the Legislative, national development and democracy promotion and consolidation.
“We are calling on the APC to zone to the Senate President seat to the South South and begging other six political parties in the Senate to join hands in the proper balancing of the positions and enthronement of competent, effective, sound and responsive Senate and NASS leadership under the Senate Presidency and chairmanship of Senator Godswill Akpabio,” Oyeniyi maintained.
