The Northwest Progressives Forum (NPF) has appealed to President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to allow Northwest zone produce the next Senate president, having given All Progressives Congress (APC) the highest votes to emerge winner of the recently concluded presidential election.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, the Convener, NPF, Nasir Dambatta said their position was hinged on the constitution and not religious or ethnic bias, adding that having produced the biggest votes of the six geopolitical zones, Northwest deserved to produce the 10th Senate president.
He said based on integrity, honesty and experience, former governor of Zamfara state, Alhaji AbdulAziz Yari, should be given the post.
“We are aware of the several moves and counter-maneuvers by regionalist political actors seeking to place their respective zones at an advantage where it is not deserved. Official election result figures show that the Northwest produced the highest number of votes for Tinubu, which makes it the natural and legitimate claimant to the number three seat.
“While we do not expect President-elect Tinubu and the APC to give to any zone what it does not deserve, we however feel it would only be fair to reward the people that toiled for and earned it. The rule of fairness, justice and ordinary decency demands in this circumstance, that the Northwest, and not any other zone, deserves to be rewarded for its commitment to the APC and the Asiwaju ideals which it amply proved at the polls.
“We, therefore join the call for the APC and the president-elect to act justly and fairly by zoning the position of the Senate President to the region that gave him more than 30% of his winning votes.
“If the region is considered, we feel obligated, after considering so many factors, to suggest that when eventually the slot is micro-zoned to the Northwest, the person that is eminently competent for the job is former Zamfara state governor, AbdulAziz Yari. We specifically call on Asiwaju to wade in and ensure the zoning of the Senate presidency to the Northwest and in favour of Yari.
“After critically examining the credentials of all the candidates being presented for the job, particularly from the Northwest, we have come to the conclusion that Yari is most suitable to be the next president of the Nigerian Senate. We, therefore, join other groups in categorically endorsing AbdulAziz Yari as the most competent for the job and call on stakeholders in the entire zone to do the same,” Dambatta said.
