Ahead of June 6 inauguration of the Seventh
National Assembly, the Benue State Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswan, has
said the North-Central will retain the Senate presidency.
The governor, who stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday, also backed the retention of the present zoning formula of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The South-South currently occupies the Presidency, while the Vice-President is from the North-West; Senate presidency is zoned to the North-Central and deputy senate presidency is in the South-East.
The House of Representatives speakership is zoned to the South-West, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives are from the North-East.
Justifying the retention of the Senate presidency in the North-Central, Suswan said that the zone voted overwhelmingly for the PDP.
He stated, “The only position we have is in the Senate presidency. We intend to keep that. I believe our brothers across the country will support the North-Central in keeping the position.”
Explaining the stand of the zone, he said, “I believe the North-Central should retain the Senate presidency based on three reasons. First, we voted overwhelmingly for the President. Second, the present occupant did very well in the last four years. Third, if you look at the positions as shared, the North-Central does not have anything except Senate President and we intend to keep it.”
Asked to comment on the PDP’s power sharing formula, Suswan, said that” I agree with the present statu quou. Of course yes. The President himself has no issues with that.”
According to him, the PDP is faced with several options as it decides the power sharing formula in the next two weeks.
He said these included the need to ensure zonal and religious balancing. Suswan stated, “The complaint I have heard is that the Senate President is a Christian and so the Speaker should be a Muslim. I agree totally with that and the South-West is the only place we have Muslims in the South, so the speaker should remain in the South-West
“If you take the Speaker outside the South, you cannot in good conscience say the Vice-President, the Senate President and the Speaker should come from the North. You can’t argue that. The only argument that will be acceptable to Nigerians is the fact that we have the Vice-President and the Senate President in the North, the speaker should go to the South. If we are reflecting on the religious balancing in this country, it should go to the South-West.
“Also, the South-East voted overwhelmingly than any geo-political zone for the President. So, they deserve something. If Nigerians say let us give South-East a position because they voted overwhelming for the President, it is also a strong reason.”
He assured that leadership of the party would address the issues when it meets in the next two weeks.
Suswan stated that in spite of the threats by the opposition, the elections won by the PDP in Benue State were free and fair.
“I knew I would win the elections. If you conduct elections 20 times in Benue State, I will win. I was not shaken. Out 28 House of Assembly members, we had 20, out of 11 House of Representatives members, we had eight, out of three senators, we had two and out of one governor, we had one,” he stated.
The governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission over the just concluded elections, saying in spite of initial problems the commission was able to conduct credible polls.
He stated that problems that occurred were caused not by the commission, but by desperate politicians, who were bent on winning at all costs.
By Niyi Odebode, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
The governor, who stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday, also backed the retention of the present zoning formula of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The South-South currently occupies the Presidency, while the Vice-President is from the North-West; Senate presidency is zoned to the North-Central and deputy senate presidency is in the South-East.
The House of Representatives speakership is zoned to the South-West, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives are from the North-East.
Justifying the retention of the Senate presidency in the North-Central, Suswan said that the zone voted overwhelmingly for the PDP.
He stated, “The only position we have is in the Senate presidency. We intend to keep that. I believe our brothers across the country will support the North-Central in keeping the position.”
Explaining the stand of the zone, he said, “I believe the North-Central should retain the Senate presidency based on three reasons. First, we voted overwhelmingly for the President. Second, the present occupant did very well in the last four years. Third, if you look at the positions as shared, the North-Central does not have anything except Senate President and we intend to keep it.”
Asked to comment on the PDP’s power sharing formula, Suswan, said that” I agree with the present statu quou. Of course yes. The President himself has no issues with that.”
According to him, the PDP is faced with several options as it decides the power sharing formula in the next two weeks.
He said these included the need to ensure zonal and religious balancing. Suswan stated, “The complaint I have heard is that the Senate President is a Christian and so the Speaker should be a Muslim. I agree totally with that and the South-West is the only place we have Muslims in the South, so the speaker should remain in the South-West
“If you take the Speaker outside the South, you cannot in good conscience say the Vice-President, the Senate President and the Speaker should come from the North. You can’t argue that. The only argument that will be acceptable to Nigerians is the fact that we have the Vice-President and the Senate President in the North, the speaker should go to the South. If we are reflecting on the religious balancing in this country, it should go to the South-West.
“Also, the South-East voted overwhelmingly than any geo-political zone for the President. So, they deserve something. If Nigerians say let us give South-East a position because they voted overwhelming for the President, it is also a strong reason.”
He assured that leadership of the party would address the issues when it meets in the next two weeks.
Suswan stated that in spite of the threats by the opposition, the elections won by the PDP in Benue State were free and fair.
“I knew I would win the elections. If you conduct elections 20 times in Benue State, I will win. I was not shaken. Out 28 House of Assembly members, we had 20, out of 11 House of Representatives members, we had eight, out of three senators, we had two and out of one governor, we had one,” he stated.
The governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission over the just concluded elections, saying in spite of initial problems the commission was able to conduct credible polls.
He stated that problems that occurred were caused not by the commission, but by desperate politicians, who were bent on winning at all costs.
By Niyi Odebode, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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