‘APC should revisit ceding speakership to South West’
The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should revisit the zoning formula of key offices in the House of Representatives for the sake of equity, fairness and justice, a chieftain of the party, Muazzamu Inuwa Tike, made the call yesterday.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Tike who wants Rep. Umar Bago from the North Central as speaker, faulted the zoning of the position to the South West, saying the party further erred by specifically asking lawmakers to vote for Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos).
He said the North Central which came third after the North West and North East in giving President Muhammadu Buhari the highest number votes had been short-changed in the scheme of things, adding that Rep. Bago who is a ranking member was a loyal party member who did a lot for the success of the APC right from the days of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
“The North West has produced the president and the South West which narrowly missed falling into the hands of PDP produced the vice president. We are still appalled that both the positions of the Senate president and the speaker have been ceded to other regions at the detriment of the North Central which helped the APC to victory,” Tike observed.
“For whatever reason, it is sad such unfairness is taking place under the watch of the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the National Leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu. I strongly feel President Muhammadu Buhari should reprimand them so that he will be remembered as someone who entrenched fairness,” Tike said.
“The North Central has capable hands who have shown interest in the position…I fear that 2015 will be repeated if the North Central is not carried along. Leadership must be measured by the degree of fairness exhibited by those vested with such responsibility. The North Central voted for APC in 2015 and 2019 and its people deserve to be carried along,” he added.