A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress Yekini Nabena, has declared that the South-South region deserves to produce the next Senate President the 10th Assembly in the spirit of national unity and religious harmony.
A former spokesman of the APC, in a statement on Sunday, said it would be unfair for the North to have a Vice-President, Speaker, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and the Senate President.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that despite the announcement of the former minister as the preferred candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, other aspirants like Abdul Aziz Yari, Uzor Kalu have refused to drop their ambitions.
Mr Nabena, therefore, appealed to Northern senators-elect to forgive a top contender for the Senate Presidency, Godswill Akpabio, for any offence he might have committed against the region.
“For the sake of equity, justice, and fairness, I will appeal to all the senators-elect to rally round Akpabio to emerge the next president,” he said.
“This has become necessary because the two major contenders in the race for the position of speaker have withdrawn and declared their support for Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, which means that the road is almost clear for the emergence of another Muslim from the north as number four citizen.
“Therefore, there is need for religious balancing in government and for the fact that only south-south will be left out of the equation if the position of senate president eludes the region, hence the more reason senators-elect should rally support for Senator Godswill Akpabio as the next senate president.
“As it stands today, the south-west has produced the president, the north-east has the vice-president, the north-west is about to produce the speaker, (note that the three of them are Muslims), the north-central has the SGF and the south-east has produced the deputy speaker.
“So, where is the south-south?
“Forgive Senator Akpabio if he has done anything wrong in the past for the sake of national unity and religious harmony,” he added.
