A group within the All Progressives Congress, Patriotic Peoples’ Forum, has urged the national leadership of the ruling party to allow the North Central geopolitical zone to produce the next Speaker of the House of Representatives in the coming 10th National Assembly.
The acting Director-General of the PPF, Prof Hussaini Garba, at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, went further to declare the support of the group for one of the aspirants for the Speaker seat, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, from Kwara State.
Garba said, “Although the APC, as a party, has yet to zone the Senate and House of Representatives leadership to the South-East and North Central respectively, the need to uphold same dispositions should be sacrosanct to all political gladiators interested in the 10th National Assembly leadership.
“To pilot the affairs of both the Senate and the House, someone that understands the rudiments of legislation and has the acumen to relate well with all organs of government without glitches should be elected. The task really needs a parliamentarian that will deliver as and when due and should be willing cum determined to get work accomplished.
“We wish to use this medium to solicit the leadership of the ruling party to support the zoning of speakership position to North-Central, going by role the zone played in the just concluded general elections. As a formidable forum, Patriotic Peoples’ Forum, we are lending our voice in support of a young, promising, vibrant and true democrats in person of Rt. Hon. Abdulraheem Tunji Olawuyi.”
He stressed that Olawuyi, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, should be voted to become the Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.
Meanwhile, a former governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, has called on the ruling APC to release the zoning formula for the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, in time.
He noted that this would help the lawmakers decide on the choice of their candidate among the aspirants.
Orji spoke with journalists after he received an award as a member of the Board of Trustees, University of Ibadan Alumni.
He said, “The APC has produced the majority number of the senators-elect that would make up the 10th Senate. The majority would always produce the Senate President.
“The leaders of the APC have to make a pronouncement on where the position of the Senate presidency would be zoned to.
“It is when they make the pronouncement that Nigerians would know the geopolitical zone they are backing for the position of the Senate President. That is when we will know who we would support.
“If it is zoned to the South East, we would come out to announce our preference among those that are contesting the position right now. The pronouncement is very vital.”
Orji also noted that “I am retiring from politics to give the opportunity to the younger generation; that is why I am not returning to the Senate.
“I expect the younger generation to do better than me in order to achieve a better society.”