Why Senate Presidency should go to South-South PANDEF
The Pan Niger Delta Forum has joined the call for the South-South to be given the 10th National Assembly Senate presidency.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the organization urged the ruling All Progressives Congress to zone the Senate presidency to the South-South in the interest of justice and equity.
The statement, which was signed by the National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken Robinson, argued that the last time someone from the South-South occupied the Office of Senate President was during the 2nd Republic (1979-1983), when the late Senator Joseph Wayas of Cross River State was elected in October 1979 and again in October 1983, before that Republic was truncated on December 31, 1983.
The statement reads in part, "Ostensibly, the South-South Zone has an unassailable reason to seek the Senate presidency after twenty-four years of Democratic rule. No counterarguments can withstand this South-South stance.
"PANDEF implores the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, along with other key stakeholders of the APC, and, indeed, all Senators-elect of all parties, as well as the party hierarchies, to support the transfer of the incoming Senate Presidency to the South-South zone.
"At this point in our nation's political evolution, this is unquestionably the right and just thing to do.
"While agreeing in part with the Progressive Governors Forum and other individuals' positions on the subject, PANDEF is troubled by some of the names reported in the media as having expressed interest in the Senate Presidency in particular.
"The All Progressives Congress, having upheld the principle of rotation of key political offices between the North and the South for the Presidency of the Federation, is expected to maintain the same modus for the Senate Presidency, Speakership of the House of Representatives, and their Deputies.
"Surely, the APC leadership cannot be wholly oblivious to the fact that a Muslim Senate Presidency would pose a further threat to national security, undermining the desperately desired overall stability. On this score, a wrong move can only represent a step too far.
"In the national interest, PANDEF, as a body of patriots and proven committed stakeholders in the Nigerian Project, is compelled to issue this timely advice.
"Therefore, urges politicians to draw lessons from recent political events and to demonstrate greater statesmanship and patriotism in designing the Leadership of the upcoming 10th National Assembly; while cautioning that obsessive political figures should not be permitted to obscure this all-important issue with the usual ignoble hoarse recourse to "internal affair" status.
"That would be extremely regrettable and of no benefit to any demographics involved in the Nigerian project.
Leave A Comment