Candidate for the position of Senate President, Senator Osita Izunaso, yesterday said it is his turn to become the President of the Senate, adding that he has paid his dues for the growth of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added that it would be grossly unfair and unjust for the APC leadership to deny him the Senate presidency because he is the best among the contestants.
Izunaso, according to a statement from his media office, stated this while speaking with journalists shortly after a Interdenominational service ahead of the presidential transition programme held at the Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.
The senator-elect said the new President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC leadership should consider service and sacrifice to the party in deciding who to support for the position of senate president.
The South-East born Senator stated that he was more qualified and suitable for the position than all the other contenders in terms of competence, experience, education, knowledge, integrity, loyalty and commitment to the party and that APC should compensate his sacrifice, dedication and loyalty to the party by supporting him for the position.
Izunaso explained that he yielded his time and energy with the likes of elder statesman, Chief Bisi Akande and the current Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola to help in building APC from scratch, adding that he later served as the national organizing secretary for five years without blemish.
Osita Izunaso disclosed that he campaigned for Tinubu during the presidential election even when key figures in his local government and senatorial district were slaughtered for supporting and urging people to vote for the new president.
His words: “I am a founding member of APC, we travelled to Lagos every weekend for good six months during the formation stages, to coin the name and get it right, we designed the logo, bringing together components of other parties making up the proposed APC then before going for registration in the Corporate Affairs Commission. Governor Fashola is alive today, he knows all I am saying because he was part of the whole thing from day one.
“We conducted 36 governorship primaries, there was not a single litigation, why, because we did the right thing. You will agree with me that, that is what it means to show capacity. You know we battled a sitting President, therefore, we needed to do everything right to wrestle power from them; so if I could hold the Party at that level from its formation stage when we didn’t even know we were going to win, why won’t I be able to lead the Red Chambers effectively as Senate President?
“So for me, I can actually say, it should be a payback time for me, having sacrificed my time, energy, scarce resources and services for the APC. I think it is only fair and just for the party to think it wise to compensate me, I think the time is now.
“Having served selflessly without blemish through rain and shine, during turbulent times when there was no ray of hope for the Party, I think I deserve to be compensated; and having contested election and fortunately returned to the Senate, I think I am well qualified to vie for the position of the Senate President, and why won’t I seek for it and why wouldn’t APC in their wisdom not consider and compensate me? I’ve paid my dues in the party, I have sacrificed a lot enough to earn me adequate compensation from the APC; if I am not qualified, that should had been a different ball game.
“The people dragging the position of Senate President with me today were in PDP, they were not in APC, they castigated the party then as “dead on arrival” during the formation stage, and recall, PDP did everything within their powers then to frustrate the registration of the party at the corporate affairs commission because they were in power.
“We formed and funded the Party, nurtured and ran it through its formation stage till today, some of them just joined the Party about 4-5years ago. Yes, it is said the more the merrier, so, we heartily welcome them to APC, but if we hadn’t sustained the Party and won, they may not have joined.
“Speaking on the claim that the South-East did not vote enough for the party to deserve the nation’s No 3 position, Senator Izunaso said: every APC candidate that emerged victorious in the 2023 elections from the Southeast geopolitical zone deserves commendation. Our victory is like the proverbial camel passing through the eye of a needle. It was not funny at all, because this time around, the Southeast had a major frontline Presidential candidate who enjoyed massive support and sympathy from voters of the zone. It was not an easy election I can say that a million times.
“I was elected into the House of Reps as far back as 2003 and into the Senate in 2007, but before then, I had worked in the House of Representatives as a staff, also worked in the Senate as staff and I’m not sure any of my contemporaries have that pedigree, all I’m saying that, I am the most qualified at this point in time for the President of the 10th Senate; therefore, it should be a PAY BACK TIME FOR ME.”
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