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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, has faulted the zoning arrangement for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, Akeredolu expressed concern about the decision of the party to give two leadership positions to the North West.
Recall that APC NWC had nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and Tajudeen Abbas, a House of Representatives member from Kaduna, as leaders of the 10th National Assembly.
Akpabio was nominated as Senate President while Abbas was endorsed ad the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The party also nominated Barau Jibrin, from Kano State as Deputy Senate President, and Benjamin Kalu, from Abia State as Deputy Speaker.
Reacting to the development, Akeredolu described APC’s zoning arrangement as “unworkable,” adding that it “reinforces injustice and enhances inequity.”
“It stands logic on the head that the North West would be getting two positions in the parliament leadership while the Nort Central is rewarded with none,” the governor said.
He accused “a few individuals with eyes on Aso Rock Power Buttons” of attempting to cabin the presidency of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“It is with great concern, and indeed, with a huge burden that I read in the news of the purported zoning arrangement released by the national working committee of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as regards the leadership positions in the yet-to-be inaugurated national assembly.
“Aside from the unpretentious ambiguity in the purported press statement issued by the leadership of the APC, the contents, intentions and motives of the zoning formula represent early signs of steps aimed at attempts to cabin the hard-earned presidency for our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by a few individuals with eyes on Aso Rock Power Buttons.
“It is trite to aver, that, it stands logic on the head that one geo-political zone, North West in this regard, will be favoured with two presiding officers positions out of four while North Central suffers the consequences for its innocence and shrewd loyalty by having none.
“It is an insidious permutation that North East will be deprived in the face of the unsavoury generosity dispensed through two slots to a particular geo-political zone. It is self-repudiating for one to argue, therefore, that the Speaker of the House of Representatives cannot also emerge from the North East.
“Therefore, the move to zone the national assembly leadership positions on the behest of interested personalities with perceived closeness to the president-elect manifesting lays the dangerous foundation of distrust, and needless suspicion even as it structures nothing but a combination of booby traps. We must avoid all these.
“Let the North play stronger, more robust and all-inclusive roles in the emergence of the positions zoned to the region, especially the speakership.
“It is in this regard that I salute the courage of the speakership aspirants for their show of solidarity, companionship and applaudable love for the party in their rejection, resentment and objection to the brazenly teleguided zoning arrangement that is skewed and targeted against some zones and identified individuals.
“Their action is commendable just as they are urged to ensure they pursue this to a logical conclusion. This is an unworkable arrangement that reinforces injustice and enhances inequity, and I join them in rejecting this zoning formula,” Akeredolu said.