The Leadership Council of The Initiatives has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Assembly (NASS) members-elect to consider region and religion in the selection of the presiding officers, especially the office of the Senate President.
The Initiatives, an agenda setting college of former and serving National Assembly (NASS) members which has Justice Uwais (rtd) and Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as patrons, said they are working to ensure that the 10th National Assembly do not engage the executive in activism adding, that the office of the Senate President should go to the South South region.
At a press conference in Abuja, the Dean of the Initiatives, Hon Eseme Eyiboh, said their aim is to build a new Nigeria and add value to the Nigeria people.
“The chairman of this initiative is retired Justice Mohammed Uwais, the deputy chairman is Sen Anyim Pius Anyim.
“The president of the Senate and the speaker are first among equals so their leadership must not engage with the executive on unnecessary activism.
“That is why we want leadership at the national assembly that will benefit the people. Zoning the office of the Senate President to the South will be fair and we want it zoned to the South-South because Senator Godswill Akpabio is the most qualified person.
“Cubicles of opportunities have been destroyed. Our institution in the national assembly required people who have pedigree and integrity. We must set a template to set out some level of integrity.
“We have to change the narrative and the trajectory. Let there be participation,” Eyiboh said while advocating for Akpabio to be the next Senate president.
Eyiboh, who said there won’t be justice if the Senate President is a Muslim and the speaker a Muslim, added that religion and ethnicity must be considered in the election of the presiding officers at the National Assembly.
“Because you can’t have one religion to have all the positions. Offices should be occupied by people of different faiths.
The APC should understand and consider these issues that we are talking about because zoning is about resolving the issues of social Injustice.
“If the president is from South West, Vice from North East, if earlier models are to be followed, the Senate President should come from South-South.
“If the president is in the South, the model obliges that the Senate President should come from the South South.
“It is the political party that will do the zoning and look at the votes every region brought to the table. Let the Senate President office go to the South. It won’t look like an aircraft in a control tower. It should be a micro-zone arrangement to the South South,”Oyiboh added.
Oyiboh, who said the South East produced a lot of Senate Presidents since 1999, added that Ken Nnamani, Anyim Pius Anyim, Evans Owerem, Wabara amongst others were Senate Presidents.
“It cannot go to the South West. It should go to the South-South. When the country was burning with insecurity, South South provided peace.
“South-South should be the region the office of the Senate President should be zoned to and it should be fair.
“Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio should be the next Senate President. He was Governor, after that, he was brought into the Senate, flourished as an eagle and his colleagues broke the standing rules and made him the minority leader in the Senate, “ the Initiative added.
