Legislative aides working under the auspices of the Forum of National Assembly Legislative Aides from North West warned the former governor of Zamfara State and Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari, and others vying for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President in the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday to respect the zoning arrangement.
The group insisted that the zoning arrangement was put in place to keep the legislature stable.
Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly in Abuja, the forum’s zonal leader, Abdulrazaq Dunkawa, and secretary, Silas Gabriel Garba, maintained that the APC’s National Working Committee had chosen Senator Godswill Akpabio from the South-South as the preferred candidate for Senate President and Senator Jibrin Barau from the North West as Senate Deputy President in its zoning arrangements for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
They insisted that the Northwest deserved two presiding officer positions because it gave the APC the most votes in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
They said:
Results from the elections showed that North West played a crucial role in keeping APC in power by securing the majority of honourable members and distinguished senators in both chambers.
The zone no doubt rightly deserves the zoning made by the party as far as leadership of the 10th National Assembly is concerned.
We, therefore, call on other contestants to allow for party supremacy to establish discipline, order and legislative democracy to thrive in the 10th National Assembly.