Following the appointment of the former governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), three contenders from the North Central for the National Assembly leadership have been urged to withdraw from the race.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on Friday appointed Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The appointment came weeks after the North Central protested against the zoning of the deputy senate president and the speakership position to the North West geopolitical zone.
While Senator Sani Musa has indicated interest for the Senate president, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase and Rep Yusuf Gagdi are contesting for the speakership position.
One of the groups that protested the zoning arrangement was the North Central Progressive For Development (NCPFD).
But the NCPFD’s chairman, Comrade Ibrahim Tajo, in a statement, said the reservation of the region has been addressed by President Tinubu with Akume’s appointment.
“To the glory of God, our zone now has two key figures in the government. Aside from the SGF, another prominent leader of our zone in the person of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State has been the National Chairman of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last 15 months.
“While Senator Adamu controls the affairs of our party through the instrumentality of the National Working Committee (NWC), our brand-new SGF is the engine room of Tinubu’s administration. Thus, President Tinubu has wiped away our tears in the North Central geopolitical zone.
“Weeks ago, when the positions of the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were zoned by the president and the leadership of our great party to the North West geopolitical zone, we protested against the sidelining of the North Central and appealed for the review of the zoning arrangement given our contributions to the Tinubu’s presidency during the presidential election.
“To whom much is given, much is expected, with this, we need to double our support to the president to enable him to deliver his pact with Nigerians as captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Since 1999 when the country returned to civil rule, six persons have been appointed as the SGF, none of them came from the North Central while the North East has produced four occupants of the office namely; Babagana Kingibe, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Babachir David Lawal, and the immediate past occupant of the office, Boss Mustapha. The South East and South South had produced one occupant of the office in the persons of Anyim Pius Anyim and Ufot Ekaette, respectively. This is the first time that the position has been given to us.
“For our three brothers, who are in the race for the National Assembly leadership, it is time for them to withdraw from the race in line with the decision of the president and our party. Don’t rock the boat, we have been rewarded,” he said.
