As the newly elected senators and members of the House of Representatives of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) prepare to hold a crucial meeting with the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the national leadership of the party, indication has emerged that the party would want pacify the South East geopolitical zone with the position of Senate President.
LEADERSHIP also gathered that religious affiliation would be considered in sharing leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly, since Tinubu and the vice-president-elect, Kashim Shettima, are both Muslims.
Sources revealed that the party would be freely disposed to the zoning of the Senate presidency of the incoming 10th National Assembly to the South East to assuage the feeling of real or perceived neglect among the people of the area.
Today’s meeting, which is the first major engagement between the senators and House of Representatives members-elect, is expected to address the issue of zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly.
An APC leader familiar with the president-elect, who noted that the incoming administration would consider objective reasoning in sharing the positions, said zoning of offices would be devoid of lopsidedness or ethnic discrimination.
“For balance of power, our president-elect understands that to have a rancour-free administration, every region must be carried along and the South East is very paramount to him.
“He has confided in us his commitment to support the emergence of a Senate president from the South East for the sake of equity, fairness and justice, thus maintaining the balance of power and a sense of inclusion,” he said.
Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, is rumoured to be the anointed candidate for the position and could be announced at today’s meeting.
Invitation to the meeting, which was signed by APC national secretary, Iyiola Omisore, was also published on the party’s official Twitter handle at about 10.08pm on Friday.
Omisore urged the guests to come along with the Certificates of Return issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The invitation read, “This is to inform all senators-elect and members of the House of Representatives-elect of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that they are invited to a parley with the party’s national leadership.
“The meeting, which will be attended by the President-elect and Vice President-elect, will be held at the State House Banquet Hall, Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. Senators/House of Representatives-elect must come to the meeting with their Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Certificates of Return and must come alone.
“The meeting is strictly on invitation. Date: Monday, 13th of March, 2023. Time: 2pm prompt. Venue: State House Banquet Hall, Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. All invited guests are expected to arrive early to allow for screening and be seated before 12noon.”
