Senate Presidency: Respect Party Supremacy

All Progressives Congress (APC) non-serving senators from second to fourth republics have appealed to Orji Uzor Kalu, Abdul’Aziz Yari and other aspirants who have opposed the party’s zoning arrangement to step down their bids for the seat of the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.

Naija News reports that the non-serving senators, which include Olusegun Osoba, Tanko Yakasai, Godknows Igali and John Praise, and others told the aggrieved aspirants of the seat of the Senate President party supremacy is still the ultimate, so therefore, they should step down.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had zoned the position of the President of the Senate to the South-South and specifically endorsed Godswill Akpabio as its candidate, with Barau Jibrin as deputy.

However, Kalu, Yari and others have refused to accept the position of the party’s zoning arrangement.

Speaking at an enlarged meeting of the former senators in Abuja on Thursday, the convener, Basheer Lado, called on the aspirants in opposition to the party’s choice not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

He urged them to withdraw their bids in the interest of peace, party cohesion and the smooth take-off of Tinubu’s administration.

Also speaking at the meeting, former president of the Senate, Ameh Ebute, admonished the senators-elect to respect the supremacy of the party as enshrined in its constitution.

Ebute, who read a section of the party’s constitution where it states that party supremacy is key noted that “No member should oppose the constitution of the party and position of its leadership. We should abide by the constitution of the party and the zoning of National Assembly leadership positions by the party.”

While vouching for the competency of Akpabio,  Yakasai said he had no doubts that he is qualified to hold the position of Senate president because of his pedigree.

Yakasai said: “The time of paucity of qualified Nigerians is over many years ago. This is the reason for my difficulties in the task giving a talk in a gathering like this.

“What made my task somewhat easier is the fact that we know the personality we are all talking about.