The All Progressives Congress, (APC), has been urged to cede the leadership of the 10th Senate to the South-South geopolitical zone to ensure that the next government is balanced, inclusive, and acceptable to most Nigerians.
This was according to a statement from Alh. Tukur Gana, a respected Chieftain of the APC in Sokoto State, in which he urged the northern caucus of the assembly “to balance the understandable jockeying for power with other higher national goals, particularly inclusion and fairness.”
He explained that by zoning the Senate Presidency to the South-South region, the party would be sending a strong message to the nation that it remains committed to the spirit of inclusion and equity that binds the country together. This alongside an expression of its serious appreciation of the the growing support it enjoys in the oil-rich region where the opposition hitherto held sway.
“By zoning the Senate Presidency to the South-South region, our party will be scoring two important goals. The first one being that we remain strongly committed to the progressive ideal of equitable representation such that the interests of the so-called minorities are prioritized and protected,” he said.
“Secondly, we would have successfully yanked off the shaky legs of the PDP in the important region by showing to the people of the region that the support they gave to our party in the last election, even in the face of vicious propaganda that exploited religious and ethnic sentiments, is appreciated and fairly rewarded.”
He, therefore, urged his northern brothers and other regions interested in the position to “rally round the South-South at this time to produce the leader of the Senate in the interest of the country’s togetherness and the future of the party.”
“By so doing”, he continued, “we will demonstrate an important example to others, especially the opposition, that ours is not just an inchoate coalition of power-hungry actors jostling in a disorganized stampede. Rather, we are a progressive union of principled men and women whose desire to lead is tempered by respect for national ideals and social justice.”
