One of the top contenders for the position of Speaker, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, has called on the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to review the zoning arrangement of the All Progressives Congress for the presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly.
Gagdi launched his campaign for the office of the House of Representatives Speaker last weekend in Abuja.
The returning House member, who spoke on Wednesday when he featured on a Channels Television programme: “Politics Today,” said: “I believe the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a democrat and most of these decisions were taken without his inputs.
“I am looking forward to the time that the President-elect will sit down with some of us.
“I am very optimistic that Tinubu will sit down with us and ensure proper consultation for fair, just and collective decisions that will be taken.”
According to Gagdi, his geopolitical zone was left out of the zoning of the leadership of the Assembly.
He said: “I can tell you for free that there was no consultation whatsoever with us and that is why you saw that contestation.
“We are not aware of anything.
“Where is the justice, intention for peace and unity?
“How will two presiding officers of the National Assembly be zoned to a geopolitical zone?
“Among the three zones in the North, the zone that gets the predominant number of Christians is North Central and yet, it is the same North Central that has a mixture of religion that delivered better to the APC.
“In the presidential election, the North Central donated four out of six states.
“The North West donated two states out of six or seven.
“Again, we are not saying that the party should not zone positions, but that it should be done for equity, fairness and justice.
“In the spirit of fairness, one of the presiding officers should be in the North West and the other one should be in the North Central.”
The Eagle Online recalls that the APC National Working Committee had zoned the Senate presidency to the South South; Senate Deputy President to the North West; Speaker to the North West; and Deputy Speaker South East.
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