Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Senate next week, President Bola Tinubu has made a strong appeal to all APC Senators-elect to abide by the zoning arrangements as announced by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party last month.

The APC has zoned the president of the Senate to South – South with Senator Godswill Akpabio as preferred candidate and Senator Jubrin Barau from North West as preferred candidate for deputy Senate President.

Addressing over 43 APC senators-elect led by Senator Akpabio at the Aso Rock Villa late last night, President Tinubu made a passionate appeal to every APC senators-elect to toe the lines of the party’s zoning arrangement in electing their presiding officers stressing that this is the right thing to do in support of the renewed hope agenda of his administration.

“At this point of our history and challenges facing us as a new administration, all hands must be on deck to salvage the unpalatable situation facing the nation. We must see the situation as a pan-Nigerian Project for the executive and the legislature to work out solutions to the challenges of the nation” he told the senators-elect.

President Tinubu said the task ahead to finding solutions to the myriads of national problems cannot come from the executive arm of government alone but from jointly working together of the executive and the legislature adding that the senators-elect present at the meeting should reach out and pass the appeal to other APC senators-elect unavoidably absent to toe the party line and put a leash on all personal ambition in favour of party programme and national interest.

“Talk to your colleagues that are not here to tow the party line and give the renewed hope agenda a chance to succeed. The elephant is big enough for all members and indeed Nigerians to have a share of the renewed hope in due course” he admonished.

Earlier on at the meeting which ended around 11pm, Senator Akpabio once again congratulated the President on the successful presidential inauguration and stated that since the party announced the zoning arrangements for the leadership of the National Assembly, the majority of the party’s senators-elect led by him and Senator Barau has reached out in consultation to other senators-elect and senators- elect from opposition political parties with positive result and pledge of support

The National Headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has set aside the purported suspension of Senator Barnabas Gemade, Prof Terhemba Shija, and five others by the Benue State Executive Committee of the party.

This was announced by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, in a statement on Thursday.

Morka said, “The Party has directed that the said suspension and all related actions in the matter be, and are hereby, set aside pending further review and decision of the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on the matter.

“Therefore, Senator Gemade, Professor Shija, and five others that are affected by the said suspension are, and remain, bonafide members of the Benue State Chapter of our Party.”

The duo of Gemade and Shija contested the governorship position but were defeated by Fr. Hyacinth Alia, who went on to win the general elections.

They dragged Fr. Alia to court, up to the Supreme Court, before the case was dismissed.

10th Senate Presidency: There Are Other Ways To Reward Zones With Bulk Votes, Says Oloriegbe

Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June, the lawmaker representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, is optimistic that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will reward zones that produced bulk votes in the recently concluded general elections.

The APC lawmaker stated this on Tuesday on Channels Television’s Politics Today as the battle for the senate presidency thickens.

Already many groups have argued that a Christian southerner should be the next Senate President after Senator Ahmad Lawan from Yobe State. But the APC is yet to zone principal officers of the National Assembly.

During the interview, Oloriegbe said there are other ways his party will compensate regions for an impressive outing in the polls, although he did not state how.

“The election is over, we have the leadership of the country to consider. There should be inclusiveness. Part of what the Constitution under Section 14 (4) tried to do is to be able to see that we stabilise this country through various means,” he stated.

“I think this will come in into play in terms of the thinking of the party. The essence of zoning is to be able to address the spirit of the constitution in terms of carrying everybody along. There are various ways through which the party will be able to reward the various segments that brought in votes.”

On the leadership of the next parliament, the lawmaker said the majority of the Senators-Elect are not new to the National Assembly.

The lawmaker cited the instance of a hopeful for the number three job, Godswill Akpabio, saying he is an old member of the National Assembly, though new to the 10th Assembly.

“Not 70 per cent are new (members). 70 members are not members of the current 9th Assembly,” he stated.

“They are not really new. For example, if you say Senator Akpabio is new to the 10th Assembly but not to the National Assembly.”