The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators to persuade the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to step down from the race in line in the spirit of power rotation between Northern and Southern Nigeria
This is even as the Senate has rejected a Bill seeking a law to legalise the rotation of the presidency between Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria.
The bill titled: “A bill for an Act to Provide for the Rotation of Power and for other related matters thereto in 2022”, was sponsored by Senator Patrick Abbas Moro (PDP Benue South). It was presented for debate on the floor of the red Chamber yesterday with a view to passing it for second reading.
Leading the debate, the sponsor, Senator Moro had argued that there was a need for a law to legalise the rotation of power across the six geopolitical zones in the country, adding that when passed into law, it would promote the principles of equity, fairness and justice as well as a sense of belonging, nationhood and unity among Nigerians within the six defined zones.
However, the bill suffered a serious blow as most Senators who contributed to the debate described it as confrontational to the 1999 Constitution as amended.
While Senator Bala Ibn Na’ Allah (APC Kebbi South) kicked against the bill on the ground that it will require a constitutional amendment and not a mere piece of legislation, Senator Omo-Agege (APC Delta Central) opposed the bill arguing that there was no need to codify a new law at this time rather the PDP should advise its presidential candidate to step down for the South to have it.
According to Omo-Agege, it was a failure on the part of the PDP not to zone the presidential candidate of their party to the South after the North has held power for 8 years.
The Deputy President of the Senate, therefore, urged PDP Senator in the upper chamber and indeed, the party to persuade its presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, to step down and rotate the presidential ticket to the South.
He said “All the governors of Northern Nigeria of APC extraction aligned with the position of Southern governors irrespective of political parties, and supported the content of this bill (on rotating power to the South). But we now know what has happened.
“If our colleagues on the other side (PDP Senators) are serious, the first thing they need to do is to plead with their presidential candidate (Atiku Abubakar) to step down from the race so that power, after 8 years in the north, can come to Southern Nigeria.
“We don’t need to codify this into law. Charity begins at home. Rather than codifying this into law, why don’t we do what is right? Why don’t we do what is needful? The North having had power for eight years, power should come to the South. So, they should tell their presidential candidate to step down from the race.”
The bill was however withdrawn by the sponsor, Senator Patrick Abbas Moro.
