A Civil Society Group under the auspices of the Northern Consensus Movement, has rejected zoning and endorsement of any Senate Presidential candidates in the 10th Senate.
The Movement President, Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, however, backed the candidacy of Senator-elect, Abdulazeez Yari for the position of the Senate President in the 10th Assembly.
Aliyu said the main objective of the Association is the protection of the rights of all Northerners, doing their legitimate businesses in the country.
“We are apolitical unless on matters of serious concern, that we thought the North is going to be shortchanged.”
Aliyu explained that the choice of Senate President from the North West has once again thrown up serious concerns and the urgent need to draw the attention of well-meaning Nigerians, particularly those from the region, to the unfair endorsement and purported clamour, in favour of a Southern Candidate.
He said, the ruling party and the President’s decision, to zone the Senate Presidency of the 10th Assembly to the Southern zone, may have been greeted with mixed fillings, especially the resort to a clandestine micro mass arrangement under the veil of party endorsement or such that may have evolved from any group of obscure stakeholders, rather than acknowledged the regions contribution to the parties entire success at the recently concluded 2023 Presidential elections, questions the very basis of the actual credibility by which the zoning was initially conceived.
“For the benefit of the doubt, and in due acknowledgement of the contribution of the APC victory of over 8.5m votes, the entire North got over 5.7m votes, while the Northwest alone provided over 2.7m votes to consolidate the Party’s victory.”
“South-South scored the fifth highest number of votes after the Northwest.
We desire to place on record, that the distinguished Senator Abdulazeez Abubakar Yari, who is contesting and a front runner, is eminently qualified to vie for the exalted office of the Senate President, and have contributed meaningfully to the growth and development of the region, in his individual capacity.”
We also believe that, as a ranking member of the Senate, he has the requisite wealth of experience to bring to bear as part of the sterling qualities that should define the character of the Senate President.”
“We are however constrained to express our reservations and to out rightly reject any purported endorsement of any of the candidates by the party or other identified stakeholders, in line with our obligation to canvass for fair play among all the contenders.”
“The critical test of our democratic faith lies in the egalitarian expression of our choices without imposition.”
“The impunity of imposition has come too costly for our democratic project, creating disharmony between the Legislature and Executive and proceeding to threaten our democracy in the build up to this election.”
“The well-rounded defeat of the opposition parties in the last general election, validates the genuine spirit of sportsmanship which the ruling party should sustain, as a tradition that must cascade across all levels.”
“We therefore owe it a sense of duty to demand and insist that, the contenders to the seat of the Senate President must subject themselves to a level playing democratic process of equal opportunities.”
“Importantly, the Northern Consensus Movement is calling on all concerned persons to prevail on the Distinguished Senator Abdulazeez Abubakar Yari, to remain steadfast in his quest for the Presidency of the 10th Senate.”
“Beyond equally being a ranking Senator, Distinguished Senator Abdulazeez Abubakar Yari, is better and more prepared for the office and stands taller in the race than his contender, coming with a history of democratic experience.”
“We call on all genuine democrats from the Northern Zone, including well meaning Nigerians, to aggregate a common ground to dislodge any tendency of imposing any vested interest in the 10th Senate.”, he said.
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