10th NASS: S/East senators-elect reject Akpabio, insist zone must produce next senate president 

The race for the presidency of the Senate has taken another dimension as the South-East senators-elect raised the alarm over a plot to shut out the zone.

Eleven out of 15 senators from South East, in a meeting in Abuja, recently rejected the alleged endorsement of Godswill Akpabio and cautioned the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) against injustice.

The senators who were not among the lawmakers that signed the Communique are; Darlington Nwokacha, (Abia, Labour Party)

and all the elected senators from Ebonyi state.

In the communique, the 11 South East senators, after their meeting that lasted for several hours, which was held at the Maitama residence of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP) Anambra South), vehemently kicked against the marginalisation of the zone.

They posited that since the zone was tactically denied the presidential ticket of any of the two major political parties in the February 2023 general election, the position of the Senate Presidency was supposed to have been given in the interest of justice and fairness. 

The communique reads: “We have observed with dismay the antics of persons with vested selfish interests who have planted themselves around the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and have vowed to shut out the South East from the Senate Presidency of the 10th Senate.

“Beyond ethnic and religious considerations, in the forthcoming 10th Senate, the Southeast has been blessed with ranking Senators-elect Including members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who have the cranial capacity, competence, influence,

experience and political followership to pilot the affairs of the Red Chamber; it becomes imperative that the All Progressives

Congress upholds the Principle of natural justice and equity which it preaches founded on reasons and zones the seat of Senate President to the South East region. “That the President, Asiwaju Bola

Ahmed Tinubu should extend the same democratic opportunity he received from the outgoing administration which gave all

aspirants equal opportunity to exercise their fundamental and constitutional rights during the APC Presidential Primaries. He should be conscious of the grave implications of zoning and endorsing a candidate from the South-South without any regard for the Southeast, such a move will no doubt serve as a recipe for an injustice which will culminate in restiveness.

“We implore the President to be sensitive to the times in Nigeria and ensure the country continues to thrive on the path of equity, unity and fairness to the tripod of Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo Yoruba) and the geopolitical zones.

“The country is already divided along ethnic and religious lines due to the exclusion of the Southeast region, which formed the major reason the APC received the low number of votes from the Southeast. The Administration of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu must correct this anomaly by ensuring that the Southeast is given the opportunity to produce the next Senate President. 

“With the side-lining of the Southeast from producing the Presidential candidates of the major political parties before the general elections, the only means through which the zone can be compensated and given a sense of belonging is for the zone to produce the next Senate President as this will restore the confidence of the people from the Southeast and Southsouth geo-political zones and indeed all Nigerians in the unity of the country.

“The APC must rise above primordial and political interest and shun the winner-takes-all syndrome and pursue ethnoreligious inclusivity and a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous, equitable and just democratic nation.

“Mr President, how would an average Igbo man feel after he sees evidence of total discrimination? The South East has been denied the chance of producing the president of Nigeria since 1966. The South South has produced President for six years and also had Deputy Senate President In the outgoing administration. The only zone in the South that has not been favoured is the South East.

“The outcry of marginalization by the South East and the entire Igbo should be addressed by your … administration rather than aggravating it. The South West has President, and the North East has Vice President. It is only just that the least position at the moment that can assuage the South East is given the chance to be the President of the 10th Senate.

“On this note, we have collectively resolved to support South East aspirants of the APC. We remain committed and have since expanded negotiations with other well-meaning Senators-elect to rally around the South East to ensure that justice, fairness and unity of the country prevails”.

Aside from Senator Ubah who read the communique, others present at the meeting were, Senators Orji Uzor Kalu, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh and Osita Izunaso and others.