Israel Umoh
As the clamour for the Nigeria’s Senate Presidency heightens, more groups have canvassed for the zoning of the position to the South-South Region of the country.
The groups are Us4Us Movement, Arewa youth Alliance for Equity, Northern Central Consultative forum for Good Governance, Area Movement for National Unity, APC Northwest Forum Consultative Assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio for Common Good (SGACG) and Northern Nigeria Peace Forum, among others, have gunned support for the election of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the 10th Senate President.
Akpabio popularly referred to as uncommon transformer was Akwa Ibom governor from 2007 to 2015, former Senate Minority Leader and immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
One of such groups is Coalition of South South Community for United Nigeria that is drumming support for Godswill Akpabio, a two-term Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District in the Red Chambers.
The Chairman of the group, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh while addressing the press on Monday in Uyo said since Nigeria’s Presidency resides in the South-West, it was expedient to zone the position to the South South region for the first time, saying ”South-East Region had enjoyed the position for five consecutive times.”
Eyiboh, a one-time member of House of Representatives from Akwa Ibom State, recalled that South South being the reservoir of crude oil has not enjoyed the Number three position in the country before.
‘‘The issues are very clear. We will use boardroom format for the briefing. The counsel of religious bigotry was swept away under Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola under ”Hope 93” slogan. In 2023, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerged as the APC standard bearer and picked Kashim Shetima s his Vice Presidential candidate both of Muslims like what took place in 1993- the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
‘‘It took only a person like Tinubu as enterprise manager, head hunter, talent coach who can break prejudices and does not believe where he comes from, but believes in one Nigeria to pilot the affairs of the country’’
He recounted ‘‘By June 1, National Assembly will elect principals officers particularly the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, Majority Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Chief as well as Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Majority Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives.
‘‘It is important to note that all the officers to be elected are members of a political party. All Progressives Congress has majority in the National Assembly. Since we have the majority, it behooves us to also produce all the principal officers mostly those belonging to the political party. Our political party is known for good conduct and the Nigerian people repose confidence in our party. Our party has character. It is the party with the only persons who will come together to decide where the positions will be zoned to.’’
The one-time Chairman of Cross River Basin Development Authority argued ‘‘Zoning may not be constitutional, but zoning is a mechanism intended to redress perceived injustice. It is at the instance of that perceived injustice, the stakeholders of the party are gathered today to invite the attention of the party and every other stakeholder across the country to appreciate that since the party has in its heart the issue of zoning that the perceived injustice visited on the people will be redressed.
‘‘There is a model since 1999, that where the Presidency goes is where the Senate Presidency and Deputy Senate Presidency go and where the Vice Presidency goes are where the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives will go too. The model is on and has not been disrupted. And today, we are taking the brunt of oil producing zone in the South South region. When Boko Haram was fighting and killing and threatening to demolish this country, it was the proceeds of oil that was used in acquiring arms to keeping the territories together and stabilizing the country.’’
Eyiboh reasoned ‘‘It is the same South South at all times, we know that has not benefited from what we called ‘the priority list of the politics’ of this country. Today, we have come together as a coalition that our tribes and tongues may differ but we united one thing for this demand we want to put on the table. It is a demand, an appeal, an acclamation, a request to the APC to well-meaning Nigerians and even to President-elect Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect, Shetima that Senate Presidency be zoned to South South Region. The reason is very simple, at least, for the benefit of people who may not be conversant.’’
According to him, ‘‘Since 1999, the position of Senate President has always be occupied by one region. If we follow the model of what has been going on in this country each time Senate President comes to Southern Nigeria, it is always micro zoned to the South East. South East has had uninterrupted five Senate Presidents. His Excellency Adolphus Wabara from Abia; His Excellency Evans Enwerem from Imo State; the late Chuba Okadigbo from Anambra State; Ken Nnamani from Enugu State and Pius Anyim from Ebonyi State. Five Senate Presidents carefully distributed to the five states in the South Eastern state.
‘‘So now, the Senate President coming to the South cannot go the South West because the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is from South West. If the meaning of zoning is what we had earlier highlighted here, we are appealing that the position has to come to South South to avoid a situation of oversight.
‘‘Even when we are asking for the zoning, we are not unconscious of the fact that Nigeria needs rebuilding; we need innovation in all segments and sectors of government; we need strong leadership and we need to give a march to use somebody who will be able to use the position of the Senate Presidency to complement what the Executive and the Judiciary are doing.”
The former spokesperson of the House of Representatives explained ‘’And the person must have the experience and capacity to create generously what Nigerians require. What an average Nigerian wants now is opportunity- opportunity for public health; what an average Nigerian wants is opportunity for institutional development, and enterprise initiative. Sustainable development goals are in their hearts of our development. So, we will need that somebody who has the pedigree and capacity and a generous disposition to be able to work with other arms of government without influence or activism to be able to create one and unite Nigeria.
”Do we have such person in the South South? The answer is in the affirmative and extra value. We are presenting, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for this position, without a doubt we seek the support of all,” he appealed.
Eyiboh, who was flanked at the press briefing by Arc. Ubokutom Nyah, Dr. Emaeyak Ukpong, Martin Udoinyang, and Freedom Ibritam, among others, said that Akpabio, has the cognate experience to galvanise the executive and the legislative arms for a better Nigeria.
