The entire zoning arrangement for the presiding officers of 10th National Assembly is being reconsidered and a new zoning one that will be favourable to all parties, especially the North-central, is expected to be announced soon, the Yusuf Adamu Gagdi for Speaker Campaign Office said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had announced the zoning of the Senate president to South/south with Godswill Akpabio as the candidate; deputy senate president to North/west with Barau Jibrin as the man for the job.
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APC equally zoned the House of Representatives speakership to the North-west and endorsed Tajudeen Abbas for the office while it took the deputy speakership to the South-east and tipped Benjamin Kalu for the position.
The zoning arrangement is being opposed by other speakership aspirants under the umbrella of G-7. They include the deputy speaker, Ahmed Idris-Wase; chairman of the House committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; Chairman, House committee on Appropriations, Muktar Betara; Sada Soli (Katsina), Mariam Onuoha (Imo) and Aminu Jaji (Zamfara).
The Gagdi campaign office in a statement said the group, among others, have rejected the micro zoning of the leadership positions in the House, as well as the exclusion of the North-central region which has serially shown loyalty and dedication to the APC by votes delivered to the party in state and presidential elections.
It said based on new developments which followed the meeting of G7 members and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu over the weekend, it is now clear that the attempt by some elements within the APC to foist Abbas on the House is not progressing as planned.
According to the statement, Gagdi who is a frontline aspirant for speakership position, assured that no candidate endorsed by parties outside the green chamber will lead the 10th House of Representatives.
He stated: “Consultation is ongoing at all levels. We are making progress. We believe that the president-elect will not relent until the injustice in the APC’s zoning arrangement is addressed. The right for all candidates to be given fair and equal opportunity to pursue their ambitions must be upheld.
“I remain in the race for Speaker and there is no overemphasising that I am qualified in legislative experience, capacity, loyalty to the party and as a youth, I will bring in modern innovations to revamp and reposition the House for optimal delivery to the Nigerian people who voted us to go and speak on their behalf in the Parliament.”
