Senate presidency ‘not zoned’ to Saraki’s region

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says its National Working Committee (NWC) has not zoned the senate presidency to the north-central and speaker of the federal house of representatives to the south-west – contrary to media reports stemming from utterances of leading party figures.

Dino Melaye, a senator-elect from Kogi state, had told the media during the APC’s two-day retreat fro senators-elect that the party had zoned the senate presidency to the north-central, where Bukola Saraki, ex-governor of Kwara state and a leading contender for the office, hails from.

Gbenga Makonjuola, Saraki’s chief of staff, told TheCable that the top position of the upper chamber had been zoned to the north-central, where His principal comes from.

But in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its national secretary, Mai Mala Buni, the party said it was “deeply embarrassed” by the latest media report, alleging that it was “apparently planted in the media to sow the seeds of instability in the party”.

”The NWC never discussed the issued of zoning at its meeting. Therefore, the report of its decision on zoning is a figment of the imagination of whoever concocted the story,” it said.

It added that  nothing had changed since the president-elect said he was ready to work with anyone from any part of the country who occupied any of the principal offices of the incoming national assembly, including those of the senate presidency and the speaker of the federal house of representatives.