Senate Presidency: APC Tips South East

Indications have emerged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will zone the position of Senate Presidency to the South East to assuage feelings of people from the region.

According to inside sources, with Bola Tinubu, from South West, as president from May 29 and Kashim Shetima, from North East, as Vice President, caucuses in APC are favourably disposed to having a Senate president from South East.

Confirming this, a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC, who wants to remain anonymous, said some elders of the party believe that zoning of the number three position  to South East will create a balance of power, in line with the original tripod in the county.

He revealed that majority of the party’s NWC members are of the view that in the spirit of inclusiveness promised by Tinubu, it will pay the APC to zone the Senate Presidency to South East, at a time numbers of APC senators from the region has risen to six, from one in 2015.

The NWC member said those supporting this arrangement have started reaching out to other zones to get their endorsement.

“Having missed out from the presidential contest in all parties at a time the clamour for a president of Igbo extraction was high, it is in the interest of the APC to zone the number three political position to South East,” he said.

The source further revealed that the North Central and the South South have also been positioned to produce the Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, respectively, while North West will produce Speaker, House of Representatives.

He said the NWC members were keen on dousing religious and tribal tension in the country, with its zoning formula.

According to him, “there is tension already and the party is determined to reduce it by doing its best to zone its offices, beginning with the Senate Presidency to the South East.

Arrangements have been concluded to meet with our President-elect, Tinubu, on this matter.

“Since 2015, the distribution of leadership positions by the APC has not been balanced and we are committed to correcting it with the 10th Assembly. So far, we are the majority with 57 senatorial seats.

“During our party’s primaries, the South East didn’t get the support of the party to produce the candidate. This didn’t go down well with them. Now is another opportunity to prove to Nigerians that we are a party for all.”

(The Guardian)