Senate Presidency: Group makes case for Zamfara ex-governor Yari

As Nigeria awaits the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, Coalition of Support Groups for Senator Dr. Abdul ‘Aziz Abubakar Yari (CoSGSAAY), has said with the legislative experience of the former Zamfara State Governor, he stands out among other contenders.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the National Coordinator of CoSGSAAY, Omogbolahan Babawale said the herculean job of driving Nigeria through her murky waters of uncertainties requires a leadership with the right partnership from the legislative arm that can help further consolidate the landmarks of the outgoing executives and support the President’s vision.

He said: “A critical time requires critical thinking by critical thinkers to provide measurable solutions to the challenges of time. Nigeria is no doubt going through some critical challenges which make her vulnerable in many ways.

“For us at the Coalition of Support Groups for Senator Dr. Abdul ‘Aziz Abubakar Yari (CoSGSAAY), we are of the opinion that the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has his job cut out for him already.

“In the race for the leadership of the 10th Senate therefore, our Group has identified one man with the requisite wherewithal sine qua non to a harmonious relationship between the Executive and the Legislative Arms of Government.

“That man is no other but the Senator-elect from the West Senatorial District of the North Western State of Zamfara, Senator Dr. Abdul ‘Aziz Abubakar Yari, the Shattima Mafara”.

Babawale further stated that “Just as all of us here today at various times supported individually the then aspirations of President Muhammadu Buhari twice in 2015 and 2019 and later to that of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in this 2023; we took time to examine, among the candidates who have shown interest in leading the 10th Senate, we took it therefore that the Party – All Progressive Congress(APC) should field the man who can best help drive the agenda of the incoming Tinubu/Shettima presidency and came to the conclusion that Senator Dr. Abdul ‘Aziz Abubakar Yari stood out tall and ticked all the
parameters.

“He complements the President-elect in many aspects. That is why we birthed his (Senator Dr. Yari’s) ‘EPAL’ Vision. It is instructive however to state without equivocation that the Group – CoSGSAAY is not sponsored by the
Senator-elect from the Zamfara West Senatorial District. The activities of the
Group is solely financed by it under its Director-General

“The ‘EPAL’ vision of Senator Dr. Abdul ‘Aziz Abubakar Yari (Shattima Mafara) is that which is built around Empathy, Patriotism, Altruism and Leadership. Our Group saw the verisimilitude of these traits as common between the Senatorelect as well as the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

He said Senator Yari is not an abecedarian in legislative rudiments who have
being a two-term legislator, and a man with the executive leadership acumen having served as a two-term governor of Zamfara State and served as the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

“Under his ascendancy at the NGF, he used his personal closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the release of Paris Club Loan refund to all States especially as bail out to states in dire straits years back.

“He is a man who believes in the unity and wellness of the country. Therefore, we believe he will be a perfect partner-in-progress to the Tinubu administration.

“The last presidential election saw the North
West give Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect the highest votes –
both in percentages and in numbers. Asiwaju got 30% of his total votes from the North West. And Zamfara State was one of the only two States Asiwaju won in the entire North West, the second being Jigawa.

“Senator Dr. Abdul ‘Aziz Abubakar Yari did not give Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the needed push, he played critical role and won his state for him even when Asiwaju lost many of his strongholds including his homestead – Lagos. For us, the region with highest percentage contribution to the victory should have the slot of the Senate President”, he added.