Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekeen Nabena, has pleaded with Senators-elect to submit to the zoning template of the ruling party for election of Presiding Officers.
Nabena made the plea while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
He said the weekend development of the withdrawal from the race for Speaker of the House of Representatives by the duo of Honourables Mukhtar Betara and Yusuf Gagdi is an indication that Tajudeen Abbas representing Zaria Federal Constituency ( North West) would clinch the Speaker of the green chamber on Tuesday .
The APC chieftain specifically appealed to Senators across party divides to allow a Senator from the Southern part of the country to emerge as President of the Senate to promote equity, fairness and national cohesion.
Nabena noted that it has become clearer that the North can not have both the Vice President, the Speaker, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Senate President at the same time.
Checks revealed that Senator Akpabio main rival in the race is Senator elect for Zamfara West, Abdul Aziz Yari.
Nabena who incidentally is from Bayelsa State, from the south south region as Senator Akpabio submitted that the issue of single faith ticket of the President and the Vice President was responsible for the demonisation of the ruling party and genuine members should strive to disabuse the minds of the average Nigerian.
He said: “For the sake of equity, justice and fairness, I will appeal to all the Senators-elect to rally round Akpabio to emerge the next President.
“This has become necessary because the two major contenders in the race for the position of Speaker have withdrawn and declared their support for Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, which means that the road is almost clear for the emergence of another Muslim from the North as number four citizen.
“Therefore, there is need for religious balancing in government and for the fact that only South-south will be left out of equation if the position of Senate President elude the region, hence the more reason Senators-elect should rally support for Senator Godswill Akpabio as the next Senate President.
” As it stands today, the South-west has produced the President, the North-east has the Vice President, the North-west is about to produce the Speaker, (Note that the three of them are Muslims), the North-central has the SGF and the South-east to produce the Deputy Speaker. So, where is the South-south?,” he queried.
The APC chieftain also begged the North “to forgive Senator Akpabio if he has done anything wrong in the past for the sake of national unity and religion harmony by allowing the former Akwa Ibom Governor to emerge the next Senate President.”
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then