Victor Ezeja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly members-elect to abide by the zoning arrangements as announced by the National Working Committee (NWC), of the party for the election of principal officers.
Tinubu made the appeal while addressing over 40 APC Senators-elect led by Senator Akpabio at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday night.
His appeal comes ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Senate scheduled for 13th June 2023. APC’s NWC had last month zoned the position of the Senate President in the 10th Senate to the South-South with Senator Godswill Akpabio as the anointed candidate and Senator Jubrin Barau from North West for Deputy Senate President.
The party also picked Hon. Tajudeen Abbas from Northwest as the preferred candidate for speaker and Hon Ben Kalu from Southeast as Deputy Speaker.
The party’s decision did not go down well with some lawmakers-elect, who kicked against it. Some aspirants like Senator Orji Uzor, Kalu from Abia North Senatorial District, who was the Chief Whip in the 9th Assembly, have moved on with campaign to be elected as Senate President.
Speaking to the Senators who visited him on Wednesday night, Tinubu made a passionate appeal to them to toe the line of the party’s zoning arrangement in electing their Presiding Officers.
He stressed that “it is the right thing to do in support of the Renewed Hope agenda” of his administration.
The president urged the lawmakers to cooperate with the executive arm in finding solutions to challenges facing the nation, adding that only the executive arm cannot do it alone.
“At this point in our history and with challenges facing us as a new administration, all hands must be on deck to salvage the unpalatable situation facing the nation. We must see the situation as a pan-Nigerian Project for the Executive and the Legislature to work out solutions to the challenges of the nation.
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“The task ahead to finding solutions to the myriads of national problems cannot come from the Executive arm of government alone but by the working together of the Executive and the Legislature,” Tinubu stated.
He urged the Senators-elect present at the meeting to reach out to other APC Senators-elect, with the message to drop all personal ambition in favour of the party’s decision and that of national interest.
“Talk to your colleagues that are not here to toe the party line and give the Renewed Hope agenda a chance to succeed. The elephant is big enough for all members and indeed Nigerians to have a share of the Renewed Hope in due course” Tinubu pleaded.
Speaking earlier at the meeting, which lasted late into the night, Senator Akpabio, once again, congratulated the President on the successful presidential inauguration and stated that since the party announced the zoning arrangements for the leadership of the National Assembly, majority of the party’s Senators-elect led by him and Senator Barau have reached out to other APC Senators-elect and those from the opposition political parties with positive result and pledge of support.
