Members of the Coalition For Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa
Photo: Oluwaseyi Ajibade/Radio Nigeria
The Coalition For Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa wants the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to ensure the leadership of the 10th National Assembly goes to the South-South.
The Convener of the Coalition, Prince Kassim Afegbua told Journalists in Abuja on Monday that the South-South geopolitical zone had played a huge role in the emergence of the President-Elect and overwhelming victory of the APC in the National Assembly, hence the need to appreciate the zone by ceding the Senate Presidency to one of its representatives at the red chamber.
Prince Afegbua explained that that the religion of the President-elect and his vice had opened more room for balancing by allowing people of other faith to occupy the seat of the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
”The argument as to why it must be a member credibly subsribed to other faith is self-evident and requires no elaborate explanation or defence. With the incoming president and Vice President both Muslims in a country with compelling argument for balancing of all the factors and forces, it will only be reasonable and rational to allow other religions occupy the Senate and Speakership positions.
The interest of this group is for the Senate President to be zoned to the South-South. The South-South geo-political zone occupies a very formidable and remarkable consideration as the treasure base of the country that ought to be accorded special recognition to compensate for all her sacrifices thus far.”
The Coalition argued that the South-East had enjoyed the leadership of the Senate five times in the last 24 years and as such, the time for the South-South to take the mantle could not have come at a better time than now.
Prince Afegbua manitained that it would be an act of injustice to zone the leadership of the 10th Assembly to the South-east considering the support the APC got from the South-South during the just 2023 general election.
”The South-South region stood firm and contributed a significant percentage of votes to the President-Elect’s victory. The APC came first in Rivers State and claimed over 45% of the total number of votes in other five states. This is despite the historic status of the region as an opposition stronghold. The members of the party from the South-South displayed high sense of duty and loyalty to the party, canvassing votes not just for their individual positions but equally for President-Elect.” He added.
Reporting by Oluwaseyi Ajibade; Editing by Daniel Adejo