Deny us speakership at your peril, APC N’Central group threatens Tinubu

As the speculated zoning of the National Assembly Leadership positions, including the Speakership seat of the incoming 10th House of Representatives continues to generate mixed reactions, a group of All Progressives Congress, APC stakeholders from the North Central geopolitical zone has asked the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to be fair and just to the zone if he wants to his administration to succeed.

At a press briefing to kick against the purported decision of the APC National Working Committee, NWC regarding the speakership seat which is said to have been zoned to the North West, the group said if the media reports about the decision were anything to go by, then the party would have shown disdain and ingratitude to the zone, which they said did more than any other zone in the North to improve its electoral fortune at the just concluded general polls.

Presenting the group’s stand in Abuja on Sunday, the Convener, Rev. Dominic Alancha argued that the same principle of equity, justice and fairness compelled the Northern Governors Forum to insist on taking the presidency to the South thereby paving the way for the emergence of Asiwaju as a candidate and now President-elect, should also apply to the North Central in the zoning consideration since it has never produced a speaker before.

He said: “Having won the 2023 presidential election fair and square, we had expected the Leadership of APC to be guided by the principle of justice and fairness in zoning leadership positions in the parliament and had thought that factors like commitment to the success of the party, level of contributions and the need for fairness, equity and justice to all would guide the decision.

“What we have seen emerging from the decision of the APC however, is a situation of total disregard to justice, equity and fairness where personal interests have been put forward thereby bringing chaos and conflict in a situation that would have otherwise gone smoothly if national interest has been the guiding principle,” the group said.

He added that compared to other zone in the region, the North Central comes tops in terms of votes for the party and the number of seats won in the parliament.

“In the last elections, the North Central apart from giving the APC presidential ticket an overwhelming number of votes,  gave a greater number of parliamentary and governorship seats to the APC.

“The APC won in Kwara, Niger, Benue and Kogi in the presidential elections and in the governorship elections, the North-central with six states gave the APC the four states of Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kwara, while that of Kogi which is still in the hands of the APC is pending meaning it lost only one state to the opposition parties.

“In the parliamentary elections, the APC clinched majority seats in Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa states and Benue where it won two out of the three senatorial seats and 10 of the 11 House of Representatives seats leaving the PDP with only one seat each in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

“Compare this with the North West where the  APC failed to secure the key states in the Northwest like Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto in the presidential elections which usually bring the deciding votes winning only Zamfara and Jigawa of the seven states in the zone.

“The picture is even worse with the parliamentary elections where the APC lost majority seats in Kano with the NNPP clearing 18 out of the 24 House of Representatives seats in the state while in Kaduna, the APC lost all the three senatorial and 11 seats out of the 16 seats for House of Representatives to the PDP.

“It, therefore, means that the North Central zone has contributed more to the success of the APC than the other zones apart from the South west.

“We, therefore, fail to see the reason behind the decision to sideline a zone that has given a greater number of votes in all the elections to the APC while a zone that has given less is being considered for two key positions in the National Assembly,” the group added.

They however called on the party and members-elect to rally support for the incumbent Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase to emerge as the next Speaker, saying he deserves to be the next Speaker having the most number of years and being a deputy to the outgoing speaker, as well as a loyal party man.

Diaspora group endorses Akpabio as Senate President

Meanwhile, members of a diaspora group, Diaspora Support Network have unanimously adopted the Senator-elect for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Senator Godswill Akpabio as the President of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The convener of the group, Mr Paul Manner disclosed this to newsmen via Zoom from his base in the United States of America at the weekend.

He said Senator Akpabio was preferred because of his development and pan-Nigerian credentials and thanked the President-elect, Asiwaju  Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their support for the emergence of Senator Akpabio as Senate President.

According to the US-based Psychologist, Intelligence and Security expert, the selection of Senator Akpabio followed a virtual meeting of the Network with members drawn from Africa, the USA, Europe and Australia, which unanimously agreed that Senator Akpabio as Senate President would work with the President-elect, Asiwaju Tinubu to curb insecurity and raise the living standard of Nigerians through effective legislation.

“We recall that as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio unleashed uncommon transformation on the State through an infrastructural renaissance of world standard and human capital development which earned him the nickname as the one who turned boys into men.

“Courtesy of Chief Akpabio, today Akwa Ibom State has probably the best road network in Nigeria. His free and compulsory education policy backed by a strong legal framework completely eradicated the houseboy/house girl syndrome among AkwaIbom children.

“The stadium he built, fittingly named after him as the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium is the only FIFA-approved stadium in Nigeria. The health sector in Akwa Ibom State witnessed a total revolution through the construction of Ibom Specialist Hospitals and General Hospitals across the State. Indeed Akwa Ibom witnessed uncommon developments under Chief Akpabio.

“Whether as the Minority Leader of the 8th Senate or the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio had demonstrated uncommon passion and love towards the development of Nigeria. We in the diaspora do not doubt that as the President of the 10th Senate, he would bring his vast legislative and political experience to bear on the development of Nigeria through legislation and oversight.

“We have observed that over the years Senator Akpabio has demonstrated uncommon leadership qualities, exceptional vision and political experience to steer the affairs of the Red Chambers and the National Assembly as a whole,” he said.

According to Mr. Manner, Senator Akpabio against all odds worked assiduously not only in Akwa Ibom State but the entire South-South towards the success of the APC in the last general elections and deserved to be rewarded for his steadfastness and loyalty to his party.

The Coordinator of the Network called on all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora and the Senators-elect to rally around Senator Akpabio as the in-coming President of the Senate to make the dream of a better Nigeria possible through sound legislation and oversight.

He said members of the group have mobilized across America, Europe, Asia and Africa to be physically present during the inauguration of the President-elect and proclamation of the 10th National Assembly.

For a better society

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