Legislative aides to lawmakers-elect: Respect APC’s zoning arrangement for n’assembly leadership

The forum of legislative aides from north-west has called on the lawmakers-elect to respect the zoning arrangement by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the 10th assembly.

The ruling APC has nominated Tajudeen Abbas, a member of the house of representatives, and Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, as candidates for the speaker and president of the senate.

However, some members of the party who are legislators have protested against the selection of the two candidates.

In a statement on Tuesday, Abdulrazaq Dunkawa and Silas Gabriel, zonal leader and secretary of the forum respectively, said the region contributed the highest number of votes to the APC during the elections.

They said the region deserved the leadership positions of the national assembly that were zoned to it.

“We the legislative aides from the north-west like to place on record that the geo-political zone contributed the highest number of votes to the APC in the presidential and national assembly elections,” the statement reads.

“Results from the elections show that north-west played the crucial role in keeping APC in power by securing the majority of honourable members and distinguished senators in both chambers.

“The zone no doubt rightly deserves the zoning made by the party as far as leadership of the 10th national assembly is concerned.

“We, therefore, call on other contestants to allow for party supremacy to establish discipline, order and legislative democracy to thrive in the 10th national assembly.”