The governor of Ondo State criticized his party for giving the North-West two roles and the North-Central none.
Ondo State’s governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, criticized the proposed zoning for the 10th National Assembly on Wednesday, calling it a “skewed arrangement that reinforces injustice” and criticizing his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in power.
In a statement, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria condemned this party’s zoning plan, noting that it was “an unworkable arrangement that reinforces injustice and enhances inequity.”
The majority of MPs in both the green and red chambers belong to the ruling APC as a single party.
The 10th National Assembly’s leadership was chosen by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) on Monday.
Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), the Senate President, was assigned to the South-South by the party organ, and Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano), the Deputy Senate President, was designated to the North-West.
Abass Tajudeen, the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the North-West (Kaduna), and Ben Kalu, the Speaker for the South-East (Abia), are the other members.
On Tuesday’s episode of Politics Today on Channels Television, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said that the South-South region, which Akpabio represents, has not produced a Senate President since the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999.
But Akeredolu criticized his party for giving the North-West two out of the four presiding officer slots while leaving the North Central with none.
The governor called it a “insidious permutation” that the North East would suffer due to the dishonest generosity given through two slots to one particular geopolitical zone.
According to Akeredolu, the decision to zone the leadership positions in the National Assembly at the urging of interested parties with a perceived affinity for the President-elect sowed a deadly seed of mistrust and unwarranted suspicion.
The NWC of his party, according to the chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, did not consult the Progressive Governors’ Forum before releasing the zoning formula to the public.
Furthermore, it exudes a profound lack of respect that the Progressive Governors Forum’s contribution seems irrelevant. There is no greater disservice to them as Party leaders in their individual States than the NWC hastily releasing a harmful instrument for the opposition under the cover of a zoning formula while a consensus was still being achieved. It’s unacceptable to me, even on this note,” he remarked.
Akeredolu applauded APC members and Speakership contenders who disapproved of his party’s “skewed” zoning policy.
In light of this, I want to commend the Speakership candidates’ bravery for their display of unity, companionship, and admirable love for the Party in rejecting, resenting, and objecting to the blatantly teleguided zoning arrangement that is biased and targeted at certain zones and specific people.
They are told to make sure they follow this through logically, but their behavior is praiseworthy. I join them in opposing this zoning formula because it is an untenable arrangement that promotes unfairness and inequity.
“I urge our great Party’s NWC to travel the path of righteousness and purity. It could be wise for Mr. President-elect to examine this unfair arrangement and provide guidance that represents our shared commitment to justice and equality.
The governor advised the APC NWC to convene the National Executive Committee (NEC) immediately after a robust National Caucus/Stakeholders parley to reach an agreement on terms that would strengthen our great Party in this particular case and to prevent a repetition of unfavorable circumstances.
