Saturday, July 18, 2026

APC urged to zone Senate presidency to South-South for equity

“We can go on and on, so what we are saying is that the cap fits Akpabio.”

• April 14, 2023
Nigerian Senate
Nigerian Senate

An agenda-setting college of former and serving National Assembly members have called on the All Progressives Congress(APC) to zone the Senate presidency to the South-South.

Under the auspices of the Leadership Council of the INITIATIVES, the group said the party should consider the region for the number three seat for the sake of equity.

Former House of Representatives member Eyiboh Eseme, who spoke on behalf of the group in a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, said doing so would give the region a sense of belonging.

He said the region had not produced a Senate president since the return of democracy in 1999.

Mr Eseme said since the president-elect is from the South-West and the Vice-President-elect is from the North-East, it would be fair to zone the number three seat to the South-South.

“Within social context, everyone is allowed to participate in electoral processes, but we must bear in mind other factors peculiar to our clime. Zoning, for instance, is not constitutional, but it is often used in an attempt to resolve perceived injustice, and it has yielded results so far,” said Mr Eseme.

The former lawmaker added, “So, in the case of the Senate presidency, we appeal that it is zoned to the South and micro-zoned to the South-South. Some people might ask why not the South-East. South-East, as we all know, has produced about six Presidents of the Senate since 1999, and South-South has not produced any.”

He said, besides the issue of equity, the APC in the South-South performed creditably in the presidential and National Assembly elections, pointing out that Godswill Akpabio is a good choice for the Senate presidency as a ranking senator with a wealth of knowledge.

“We want someone with capacity, competence and integrity. We are all privy to Akpabio’s outstanding performance as a commissioner and governor of Akwa Ibom, and the legacies are there for anyone in doubt to verify,” Mr Eseme explained. 

He added, “His achievements spoke for him when he was nominated Senate minority whip in the Eighth Senate as a first-time senator, a position usually reserved for ranking senators. We can go on and on, so what we are saying is that the cap fits Akpabio.”

(NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Venezuela earthquakes

World

Venezuela twin earthquakes death toll hits 5,000, over 16,000 injured

The earthquakes tore through La Guaira state, a port town, and also affected some part of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Canada wildfires

Heading 4

Trump threatens Canada with more tariffs over wildfire smoke polluting U.S. 

Mr Trump stated, “This is willful negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States billions of dollars.”

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

NationWide

PDP Leadership Tussle: Court fines Wabara-led BoT, lawyer N150 million, dismisses suit against Wike-led faction 

The PDP faction, loyal to the FCT Minister,BoT Nyesom Wike, approached the court and challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit.

NationWide

Management centre urges unaccredited trainers to regularise practice

Mr Chinoko appealed to unaccredited practitioners to comply voluntarily instead of waiting for legal enforcement.

States

Troops kill two terrorists, rescue three victims in two-day raid of Benue hideout

Mr Zubairu stated, “The operation, which commenced at about 0300 hours on 16 July and concluded on 17 July 2026.”

Diaspora

Police dog exposes Nigerian traveller with hidden guinea fowl, goat meat package at Canada airport 

Authorities stated that both the food and meat products sniffed out by the dog weighed 37 kilogrammes.