As the June inauguration of the members of the 10th National Assembly draws close and the race for the next Senate President heightens, a pan-African organization under the aegis of Center for African Progress and Development (CAPD), has disclosed that the Senate Presidency should be zoned to the North West zone.
CAPD, a pro-democratic group that has its tenets as “Africa for Global Good”, also called on the National Working Committee (NWC) and the various organs of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the Senate Presidency to the North-West geo-political zone of the country.
The group also encouraged the new Senator-elects and all relevant stakeholders to do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that Senator Barau Jibrin emerges as the next Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.
In a statement released in Abuja by CAPD Head of Advocacy and Public Rngagement, Mr. Chigbo Iwuanorue, after the group ended its extraordinary meeting in Abuja, it stated that amongst the array of members of the red chamber jostling to occupy the position of Senate President in the 10th Senate, Barau Jibrin stands out as the right man for the job.
“His track record speaks volumes about his capacity and preparedness to provide all-inclusive leadership. And it is imperative for the North-West zone of the country to produce the number three citizens against the backdrop that the zone, particularly Kano State, accounted for the highest number of votes for the All-Progressive Congress, much more than the South West zone, which is the zone of the APC President-elect. The North West delivered 2.7 million votes, while the South West brought in 2 million votes.
“Putting it into perspective, Senator Barau Jibrin was part and parcel of the individuals that contributed to the successes recorded by the APC in the 2023 presidential election in the North West geopolitical zone.
“In Kano State, his political party, the All Progressive Congress, garnered over 513,000 votes, second only to Lagos State. Constituents and electorates from Kano North Senatorial districts, where Senator Barau Jibrin is from, delivered over 200,000 votes; that’s nearly half of the entire Kano State vote. Because of his rigorous 2023 political campaigns across the North-West region, Senator Jibrin is the only candidate in Kano State who was not swallowed by the Kwankwasiyya Tsunami.
“The Kanawas could not afford to lose him and the APC for anything because of the unprecedented giant strides that him and his party brought to them as a senator. By INEC’s declaration in the just concluded 2023 National Assembly election results, Senator Barau Jibrin defeated the same Kwankwasiyya movement inside Kano State with his eccentric expertise deployed in the North West, craftsmanship in driving excellent politicking, and passion to build a government of national unity. He plans to apply the same approach to ameliorate all of the nation’s fault lines, ” the group said.
According to the group, Senator Jibrin is well known to be a unifier and has an in-depth knowledge of methods to bring fellow Senate members from the North, South, East, and West to the discussion table, cater for everybody’s interests, unite the Senate, and drive the agenda of the new administration.
“Both as a serving senator and member of the federal house of representatives, Jibrin has served as chairman, vice chairman, and member of various committees. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and was also a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Power. He was appointed Vice Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) of the Senate and subsequently became Chairman of the same Committee. In 2016, he was later reassigned to the Senate Committee as Chairman on Tertiary Institutions and TETfund. Additionally, to his Senate portfolio, he is a member of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta, Industries, Land Transportation, and Appropriations and plays a key role as the secretary of the Northern Senators Forum.
“His commitment to apt progressive leadership will deliver to the 10th Assembly a less rancorous, less confusing, and less controversial Senate president. He commands so much respect amongst his people, his peers, and his colleagues at the red chamber and brings tremendous value both to his party, the APC, the nation, and his region in the northwest. He is the only senator with a proven track record of serving remarkably and exceptionally in running the Senate businesses and chairing the appropriation committee that drives the success of the APC government.
“Jibrin’s passion for public service and exceptional style of representation is one that endears him to the people, and that has made him open to valuing the input, ideas, and feedback from his constituents and also empowering them to seek clarity in gray areas and be briefed on his activities at the National Assembly.
“He is the most preferred aspirant to pilot the affairs of the 10th Senate, and there is no other senator in the North West or across the country with a strong personality that is as qualified as Senator Barau Jibrin, and this, we believe, stands him out.
“As a high-ranking senator from the North West, if he is given the opportunity to lead the 10th Senate, he will stem the tides and possibly bring to an abrupt end the rise of a certain movement called the ‘Kwankwasiyya Movement’, which seems to be doing a lot to see that they expand their tentacles across the North West zones. And the same North-West zone of Nigeria has always given the APC, the highest number of votes.
“Senator Barau Jibrin, according to the INEC declaration in the just concluded 2023 National Assembly election, defeated the same Kwankwasiyya movement inside Kano State with his eccentric expertise deployed in the North West, craftsmanship in driving excellent politicking, and passion to build a government of national unity. He plans to apply the same approach through appropriate legislation to ameliorate all of the nation’s fault lines. In the interest of fairness and rewarding those who bring competence and results, Senator Barau Jibrin from the North West is most deserving of the nation’s number three position,” the group said.
The secretary general of the group also noted that the group believes that distinguished Senator Jibrin is well versed and experienced in the workings of the legislature and has the capacity to put everyone together for the purpose of the APC-led government in 2023 to 2027 to succeed.
“The emergence of Barau Jibrin into the legislative arm of government both as a member of the House of Representatives and as a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria brought renewed hope and a fresh outlook to the constituents of Tarauni Federal Constituency and Kano North Senatorial District, as the people has unrelentingly attested to experiencing what quality representation at the hallowed chamber entails.
“His amiable relationship with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his relationship with other senators from across different regions of the country is very impeccable. Due to Senator Barau Jibrin’s track record of performance, Nigerians and his party, the APC, are very confident that his emergence as the President of the 10th National Assembly will bring valuable leadership to the people.
“The emergence of Senator Barau Jibrin at the helm of affairs of the Senate will bring renewed confidence and fresh hope to members of the 10th Assembly, and he will work assiduously to ensure laws and policies of government are initiated in such a manner that the economic rejuvenation of the nation is assured,” the CSO stated.
