Some members of the House of Representatives have criticised the zoning formula of leadership for the 10th National Assembly proposed by governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governors under the umbrella of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), in made available, had recommended the zoning of the Senate President to either the South-east or the South-south regions and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to either the North-west or the North-central regions while the deputy speakership should be zoned to South-easn or South-south.
The memo was sent to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, for his consideration.
The ruling APC, which will also form majority in 10th Senate and House billed to be inaugurated on 13 June, has yet to zone the four positions.
But, two members of the House of Representatives Akin Alabi (APC, Oyo) and Rolland Igbakpa (PDP, Delta) criticised the recommendations, saying it may not be easy for the ruling party to zone principal positions to the Northern region considering that the President-elect, Mr Tinubu, and his Vice, Kashim Shettima ran on Muslim/Muslim Ticket.
Messrs Alabi and Igbakpa stated their positions while speaking on a Twitter Space organised by PREMIUM TIMES and titled, “How should 10th National Assembly Leadership be zoned?”
Mr Alabi, who represents Egbeda/Ona-Ara federal constituency of Oyo State said he is “not sure” if the ruling APC “can afford” to zone the Senate President to a Muslim aspirant.
“It is definitely a question that is going to be raised and it is something that our party must look at. There is no question about that. Look, we have the same faith ticket for the election. Yes, there are many reasons for that and the most obvious being that the presidential candidate is from the South and he is a Muslim and Islam is a minority religion in the South,” he said.