APC to decide on zoning for NASS leadership after Ramadhan, outlines criteria

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will decide on the zoning principle for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly after the end of the Ramadan fast.

This was disclosed by the Senate Spokesperson, Ajibola Bashiru, while speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.

He said, “I believe that our party will ultimately take a decision on the zoning possibly after Ramadan and certainly before June when the next Assembly will be convoked.”

The criteria to be taken into account for the election of the next Senate President and the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, according to Bashiru, includes ranking, competence, capacity, religion, and the zone’s contribution to Bola Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election on February 25.

“It will be in the best interest of our party to zone the offices so that we can narrow the number of contestants because when you have eight persons from a single political party contesting, it creates a problem for us to having a cohesive force going into the election,” he added.

The APC won majority of the legislative seats during the elections with over 55 Senate seats out of 109 and over 160 out of 360 House of Representatives seats.

Bashiru said any of the Senators-elect are competent to be presiding officers over the National Assembly.

Read also:APC explains Tinubu’s forfeiture of $460k to US in drug related case

He, however, said the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has not taken any decision yet on which of the six geopolitical zones will produce the next Senate President.

He said, “I’m not aware that the NWC of our party has taken a position on the issue of zoning and where the zoning will be done.

“I’m not aware that the NEC of our party has taken any decision but party leaders will be making a lot of permutations to ensure a seamless relationship between the executive and the legislative arms.

“The leadership of the party as well as the members of the 10th Assembly will have to look at so many variables.

“For instance, arguments may be canvassed like the religious argument that the President is a Muslim, the Vice-President is a Muslim, will it not be reasonable to have a Christian as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and you cannot wish away such argument particularly when you see the divisive nature that politics has taken in recent time in Nigeria.

“You may also look at the North-West (geopolitical zone) which has produced the bulk of the votes by which we won the Presidency. Will you discountenance their contribution?”

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