A pressure group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), South East Forum for Senate Presidency, yesterday raised the bar in the ongoing widespread agitation for political fairness, equity and natural justice for the Southeast region by calling out men and women of conscience to join in the clamour for the zone to present its candidates for the office of the Senate President in the much-awaited 10th Senate of the National Assembly.
Spokesperson for the group, Mr. Nkem Ayanta-Lafia who was flanked by others executive members said at the briefing that gave the position at a news conference held at Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja on Friday.
Daily Spokesman’s correspondent who attended the crowded press conference quoted one of the organizers who declined to be named as saying that the choice of the location (Apo Legislative Quarters which houses many former and serving law makers) of the briefing was deliberate and particularly aimed at ‘’speaking to the ears of listening law makers in the comfort of their homes’’.
‘’We respectfully and specifically chose to bring the press conference to the midst of the law makers, former and serving, to enable them hear us, feel the pulse in our voices and consider our pleas, within and around the comfort of their homes’’, the official said.
He said following the outcome of the 2023 general elections, the South-West has produced President-elect in Sen. Bola Tinubu and the North-East produced Vice President-elect, in Sen.Kashim Shettima.
The spokesperson said that given that the party’s National Chairman is from North-Central, it was important that the South-East is mainstreamed into the national leadership structure.
He maintained that it was necessary for national cohesion and integration to effect deliberate balancing of various national offices as a means of managing Nigeria’s delicate diversity which he said was a good ground to forge national healing and harmony most needed in the country at this time.
Ayanta-Lafia said that the five states in the South-East zone had produced six senators-elect on the platform of APC, representing 40 per cent performance.
According to him, there is no zone apart from the South-West and North-East that produced the president-elect and vice-president- elect, that did better than the South East zone considering that the zone has the least number of states than its counterparts in the country.
“We urge the leadership of the ruling APC, which possesses a majority of Senators-Elect in the emerging 10th Senate to zone the position of President of the Senate to the Southeast Zone.
“We are appealing to the ruling party to back the emergence of a Southeastern senator-elect for the position in the thinking that the position will not only assuage the feelings of non-inclusion of the Igbo in the mainstream of national affairs, but also afford them the opportunity to have a greater sense of stake in the ruling APC.
“We call on and appeal to other senators-elect from other geopolitical zones that may be nursing the dream for the position of President of the Senate to, in the interest of national cohesion, unity and equity, shed their ambition and support one of their own from the Southeast zone,” he said.
Earlier, Ayanta-Lafia said that the forum is made up of representatives of various political and cultural persuasions in the South-East.
According to him, the group has abiding faith in Nigerian nation as one united and indivisible entity, where the voice of national regions and blocs must be heard and considered on its merit.
He said that the group had given itself the sole mandate of campaigning, lobbying, advocating and networking with other integral parts of Nigeria for the realize the noble goal of seeking the emergence of a President of the Senate of Igbo extraction in 10th National Assembly.
