- 11 Senators sign Communique accusing Tinubu of Marginalisation in Senate President Race
By Yemi Yusuf
Serving senators and senators-elect from the South-east have rejected the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South-south region as well as the reported choice of Godswill Akpabio for the position.
In a communique issued after their meeting on Sunday in Abuja titled “Akpabio a continuation of marginalisation” the 11 south-east senators and senators-elect said accepting Mr Akpabio as senate president amounts to marginalising the people of the South-east geopolitical region of the country.
They urged Mr Tinubu to drop Mr Akpabio for a candidate from the South-east on the ground that the region has been denied the presidency of the country since 1966.
“We implore the president-elect to be sensitive to the times in Nigeria and ensure the country continues to thrive on the party of equity, unity and fairness to the tripod of Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) and the geopolitical zones,” the communique read by Ifeanyi Ubah, the senator for Anambra South, said.
“Mr President-elect, how would an average Igbo man feel after he sees evidence of total discrimination. The South-east has been denied the chance of producing the president of Nigeria since 1966. The South-south has produced a President for six years and also had deputy senate president in the outgoing administration. The only zone in the South that has not been favoured is the South-east.
“The outcry of marginalsation by the South-east and the entire Igbo should be addressed by your incoming administration rather than aggravating it,” they said.
The communique recalled that the south-west has the President (and) the north-east has the Vice President claiming it was only just to assuage the South-east is with the chance to be the President of the next Senate.
They announced that the south-east caucus of the Senators-elect have resolved to oppose Mr Akpabio and support only aspirants from the region as the next Senate President.
“On this note we have collectively resolved to support South-east aspirants of the APC. We remain committed and have since expanded negotiations with other well-meaning Senators-elect to rally round the South-east to ensure that justice, fairness and unity of the country prevails,” the communique added.
Those who signed the communique are Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), Ifeanyi Ubahi (YPP, Anambra South), Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central) and Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West).
Others are, Ezenwa Oyewuchi (Imo East), Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra East) Patrick Ndubueze (APC, Imo North), Okey Ezea (LP, Enugu Central), Kelvin Chukwu (LP, Enugu East) and Osita Ngwu (LP, Enugu West).
David Umahi, an APC senator-elect from Ebonyi and two other senators-elect from his state, did not participate in the meeting.
Earlier on, Mr Umahi a former governor of Ebonyi State and aspirant for the position, had announced that he was stepping down from the race for Akpabio after he was persuaded to do so by the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Apart from Mr Umahi, three other contenders from the south east have shown interest for the position, namely Orji Kalu, Osita Izunaso and Patrick Ndubeze.
There are 15 senators and senators-elect from the South-east region.
