‘Most marginalised area’ — CSO asks APC to zone senate presidency to north-central

The Campaign For Democracy (CD), a civil society organisation (CSO), says the office of the senate president should be zoned to the north-central because it is the “most marginalised” geo-political zone.

By convention, the party with majority members produces the presiding and principal officers in the national assembly and decides what zone they come from.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured the majority seats in the senate in the February 25 elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared that the APC won 57 seats while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 29 seats. The Labour Party (LP) won six seats; Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) won two seats each. The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) also got one seat each.

In a statement on Thursday, Ifeanyi Odili, CD’s general secretary, said the north-central has been the most marginalised zone since the country’s return to democracy in 1999.

Odili said the APC should zone the office of the senate president to the north-central to compensate for its support during the elections.

“The north-central has been the most marginalised in the country since 1999,” he said.

“The zone has not produced the president nor vice president of the country, and it was only proper that the zone should be allowed to produce the next senate president in the 10th national assembly.

“Some people are arguing that the south-east should be favoured in the interest of fairness, equity and justice, forgetting that the north-central has suffered the worst fate since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

“The north-central being the largest zone in the country in terms of landmass has suffered the worst form of insecurity, partly because it lacked adequate representation in the nation’s highest political hierarchy.

“The zone, especially Niger state, its people are known for partisan loyalty and since 1999 accounts for the highest voting pattern for winning presidential tickets. For instance, in 2015 and 2019, Niger state accounted for the highest votes in the presidential election in the north-central geo-political zone.

“What the APC should do is to zone the office of the president of the senate to the north-central, so as to compensate the people for their massive support and vote in the recent presidential and national assembly elections.”