Coalition of APC Geographical Zones Support Groups, North West zone, has urged the All Progressive Congress (APC) leadership and the President-elect Bola Tinubu to include the North Central in the sharing of National Assembly leadership positions.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, the coalition said the APC and the president-elect should review the National Assembly leadership zoning arrangement to include North Central, so as to give each section of the county a sense of belonging.
They said such review will be in the spirit of fairness, equity, justice, inclusiveness and national unity.
The leadership of the coalition and coordinator of North West Abubakar Ali Bagwai who was flanked by his secretary, Barr. Bello Musa Kubau, said they were vehemently opposed to all forms of favoritism and marginalisation.
“There should not be favourism or preference to any section of the country. And no region should be marginalised, excluded, or sidelined.
“We are aware that our zone, the North West, has been giving two leadership positions (Speaker and Deputy Senate President) by the APC national assembly zoning arrangement, while the North Central were given non. This has created an image of favoritism towards the North West and marginalisation against North Central”.
The group further insisted that there should be a reward for loyalty and performance.
They said if political loyalty and performance are to be considered and rewarded, North Central deserves the position of Deputy Senate President considering the region’s performance in the just concluded 2023 general election in the county.
“The candidate of our party the APC, President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, won four states (Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and Niger) out of the six states in the zone, and the APC won five states out of the six in the region in the gubernatorial elections. This is the best election result the APC had in the whole of Northern Nigeria.
“As the APC only won one state (Borno) out of six in the North East and won only two states (Jigawa and Zamfara) out of seven states in North West in the 2023 presidential election. Hence, North Central deserves to be appreciated and rewarded politically by the APC and President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu due to this great performance.
“In emulating our elders, we the Coalition of APC Geopolitical zones support groups North West have ceded the position of Deputy Senate President to the North Central while retaining the Speakership position in the NorthWest. This is done in the spirit of equity, fairness, inclusiveness, justice, peace, solidarity, stability, and Unity.
“We also want to state that we agree with the position of His Excellency Rotimi Akeredolu SAN, the Governor of Ondo state, and that of the North Central Governors, as well as the North Central Senators. That demands a review of the APC National Assembly leadership zoning arrangement and calls for the inclusion of the North Central.
“We also want to plead to our father, the father of the nation, President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to listen to us and do the needful on this issue”.
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