‘It’s our turn to produce senate president’ — south-east senators tell Tinubu

The south-east caucus in the senate says Bola Tinubu, president-elect, must ensure that its geo-political zone produces the next president of the red chamber.

Recently, Abdullahi Ganduje, outgoing governor of Kano, said Godswill Akpabio, a former minister, would be the next senate president.

Also, David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, dropped his senate president bid in favour of Akpabio.

In a communique issued on Sunday after a meeting in Abuja, the senators said some unnamed people with “selfish Interests” close to Tinubu have vowed to shut out the south-east.

“We have observed with dismay the antics of persons with vested selfish interests who have planted themselves around the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and have vowed to shut out the south-east from the senate presidency of the 10th senate,” the communique reads.

“We implore the president-elect to be sensitive to the times in Nigeria and ensure the country continues to thrive on the path of equity, unity and fairness to the tripod of Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) and the geo-political zones.

“The country is already divided amongst ethnic and religious lines due to the exclusion of the south-east region, which formed the major reason the APC received the number of votes from the south-east.

“The incoming administration of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu must correct this anomaly by ensuring that the south-east is given the opportunity to produce the next senate president.”

The senators said Tinubu must drop the “winner takes it all” approach and ensure inclusivity.

“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 a deputy senate president in the outgoing administration,” the communique added.

“The only zone in the south that has not been favoured is the south-east. The outcry of marginalisation by the south-east and the entire Igbo should be addressed by your incoming administration rather than aggravating it.”