10th NASS: APC integrity caucus wants Senate Presidency zoned to Northwest

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10th NASS: APC integrity caucus wants Senate Presidency zoned to Northwest

A coalition of stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress APC known as the ‘APC Integrity Caucus’ has raised the alarm over what it called a desperate attempt by opposition parties to take over Kano and the entire North West Zone from the APC.

The caucus which has members drawn from the National Assembly and business community said the Northwest gave the highest votes to the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and therefore has to be compensated.

At a news conference Monday in Abuja, the caucus noted what it said was the incessant calls by members of the opposition parties, especially the New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP, on the APC leadership not to zone the Senate Presidency to the North West.

It said the call is part of a grand design to deny the zone of a powerful government position that could allow it dig in, expand membership and ultimately take over Kano and the entire zone in 2027.

The group’s Spokesperson, Hon. Musa Ahmed Jauro Dutse said the whole essence of “the opposition parties crying more than the bereaved on the zoning issue” is simply to mislead Tinubu and other leaders of the APC into overlooking the North West in the scheme of things.

He said; “We have uncovered their grand plots to engage in massive propaganda to de-market the North West Zone from the Senate Presidency race because of their desperate and selfish interest in taking over the zone- In the absence of a strong political office holder in the mould of the Senate President-That is why we are exposing them so that our leaders like the President-Elect will not be carried away by their antics.

“The North West gave the highest votes to our party in the Presidential election and that justice and fairness demands that the zone be compensated for the feat. Instead, they are busy mischievously plotting against the APC in other to take over the zone in 2027.We must resist them, we must not allow them to succeed in their desperate plans. The North West must not be pushed aside in the race, rather the zone should be compensated for being the highest voting block. The Zone needs to be supported to have the Senate President’s slot so it can be put in the best position to do more for APC in 2027 God willing”.

The group advised that since the South West has taken the Presidency and North East, the Vice-Presidency, it was only expedient to allow the North West take the Senate Presidency.

“The North West is the fulcrum of the Hausa/Fulani people of Nigeria. Whatever happens to the North West, has direct or indirect effect(s)on all the Hausa Fulani people of Nigeria. So, if the Senate Presidency is zoned to the North West,it can be said to have been zoned to the entirety of the Hausa Fulani people of Nigeria”, the group stated.

The group re-stated its full support for the candidature of Senator Barau Jibrin for the presidency of the 10th Senate, saying he has the requisite competence, cognate experience, capacity and above all, the highest-ranking senator among the senators in the zone.