North and South diverge on APC's choice of next N'Assembly direction

The ongoing controversy over zoning and the election of key leaders for the upcoming 10th National Assembly may affect the long-term relationship between ethnic nationalities, operating under the Southern Middle Belt Leadership Forum (SMBLF).

Yesterday, the branch of the Middle Belt Leadership Forum (MBLF) reminded the All Progressives Congress (APC), President-elect Bola Tinubu and elected federal lawmakers that this would amount to "an injustice and an attempt to alienate the northern part of the country". , if the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives is handed over to another area of ​​Nigeria. »

His spokesperson, Isuwa Dogo, observed, "Since the presidency is currently in the south, the judiciary is also in the south, and we have the elected vice president in the northeast, we believe in absolute terms that the leadership of the National Assembly should go to the North. He said the forum's position was that the presidency of the Senate should go to the northwest or center-north, while the presidency of the House representatives should also rotate between the two regions.

He insisted that the next president of the Senate must be a Christian to balance religion. In a similar vein, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) Chairperson, Yerima Shettima, blamed the current zoning crisis on the interference of the APC leadership. He said the problem wouldn't have gotten worse if the party had just micro-zoned without mentioning a preferred candidate.

BUT dismissing the MBLF and AYCF argument, Ken Robinson, National Publicity Secretary of the South-South Branch of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said it was regrettable that Dogo got caught up in the network of ethnic groups. feelings. In a conversation with The Guardian, he recalled that when the North promoted Buhari to the presidency, former Senate Speaker Bukola Saraki (Centre-North) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) were both from the region. He noted that a South-South person, named CJN, was later disgraced and replaced by a northerner.

Robinson also faulted the MBLF for looking at the North West's vote count to make its claim, without considering the South South as a bigger issue for Nigeria's health.

PRESIDENT, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLF), Akin Malaolu described the whole scenario as a leadership failure on the part of APC. He said, "While it may seem morally wrong for the MBLF to demand control of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives, the YRLF may have no choice but to support them.

It was what we saw that made us support Peter Obi of the Labor Party (LP) in the presidential election. This is even as Yoruba Council Worldwide yesterday warned Tinubu against imposing a 10th leadership of the National Assembly on Nigerians, demanding independence.

He warned the conundrum could jeopardize the South West's return to power in 2027 and beyond. The notice was contained in a statement issued after a one-day post-election summit titled: "Apero Oodua 2023", in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Signed by its chairman, Oladotun Hassan and the chief executive of the Omoluabi coalition group, Tunji Balogun, the document reads in part: "The Yoruba Council Worldwide (YWC), after its summit, reviewed the recent electoral successes that put one of his illustrious sons, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the next President of Nigeria." Many thanks to our brothers in the North for making this a reality, despite the presence of two eminent sons in the race. "