North-central Caucus Demand Deputy Senate President Seat

Senators-elect from the North-central geopolitical region have named the senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa, as their choice for the position of Deputy Senate President in the 10th assembly.

The senators-elect said their demand is to ensure that the dividends of democracy are extended to the people of the zone.

The senator-elect for Nasarawa West, Aliyu Wadada, made the position of the North-central caucus known on Friday while addressing journalists shortly after the closing ceremony of the induction programme for newly elected federal lawmakers.

Mr Wadada, a senator-elect on the platform of Social Democratic Party (SDP), said he was collaborating with his colleagues from the North-central region to secure the position of the deputy senate president, irrespective of their political differences.

Mr Wadada’s submission came a few hours after he and his colleagues from Nasarawa North, Godiya Akwashiki, endorsed the candidature of Godswill Akpabio as the senate president.

Although media reports quoted Mr Wadada to have also endorsed Barau Jibrin as the deputy senate president, he claimed that the media misquoted him.

The SDP senator-elect maintained that his endorsement for the choice of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, does not mean that he is also supporting Mr Jibrin.

“The North-central will not, and cannot be left out with a representative like us. We will always strive to get what belongs to us or what we deserve. We already had a press briefing where we clearly stated our position. After the press briefing, when the zoning arrangements had been announced, we also took a stand and our governors supported us,” he said.

The governors met with the aspirants from the North-central and efforts are really on to ensure that the North-central gets what it deserves. As senators elect from the zone, our position has not changed. We stand for the Deputy Senate President. If the North-central Caucus stands for the Deputy Senate Presidency, by implication that means that the caucus of the North-central wants the presidency of the Senate to go to the Southern part of Nigeria,” he added.

“My being around Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin does not change my position as a senator from the North Central part of Nigeria. Akpabio is from the South-south, Barau is from the North-west, while Wadada is from the North-central. So, there is no confusion at all.

My being around Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin does not mean that the North-central Caucus has conceded to the APC joint ticket. The North-central geopolitical zone that has been a stabilising factor in Nigeria’s politics, would not want to rock the boat.”

Mr Wadada said it would not be fair if none of the principal positions were zoned to the North-central region.

What we have said lately is that, if for any reason the position of the Deputy Senate President that we have always canvassed for would not be conceded to us as North-central, then we should be given the Speakership position,” he noted.

“This is because North Central cannot go empty handed. It is not fair, it is not just, it is not rational. There is nothing right about it. A situation where a single geopolitical zone is to have two presiding officer positions when the North-central remains empty is not fair.”
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