News Investigators/ Three aggrieved senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have petitioned the party’s secretariat over the adoption of consensus candidates for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly, expressing strong dissatisfaction over the decision.
The senators are Sen. Abdulaziz Yari (APC-Zamfara), Sen. Sani Musa (APC-Niger) and Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia).
Zamfara senator, Abdullazizi Yari, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues during their protest visit to the party secretariat in Abuja Thursday, said they were against microzoning the positions to individual persons.
“What we are expecting from you people is to give us a fair play, at least if nothing, to mention that a particular position is zoned and anybody in that zone can participate,” Yari said.
He said they have been supportive of the party to ensure that it remained in power and therefore deserved to be carried along in its decisions.
Mr Yari added that politics was all about dialogue and communication, saying that all sides should be given a fair hearing.
He said senator Osita Izunaso, who is also an aspirant to the senate presidency could not join them for the visit due to some unforeseen circumstance.
Responding, the APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, said the zoning of the Senate Presidency was done in concert with stakeholders and some senators.
Mr Adamu, the APC National Chairman while welcoming the lawmakers, expressed satisfaction on their visit and decision to come open with their grievance.
“As chairman of the APC and members of the NWC, we take responsibility, I take responsibility for what has gone on air, and in that spirit, I welcome you to this office on behalf of my colleagues.
“Yes there was no sufficient or adequate consultations with you who are contesting and it is simple principle of democracy that you get views and opinions.
“But the circumstances that we found ourselves in after the elections frustrated our desire,” Mr Adamu said, adding that the party’s leadership would revisit the issue in the interest of all.
While appealing to the lawmakers to be calm, the APC national chairman said the contributions of Sen. Bola Tinubu was however, critical on the issue of the 10th National Assembly.
“Hold the fire until the last word is heard from us, we are the custodians of the party as NWC, but we are not acting alone.
“The voice of Tinubu the President-elect is an essential voice. We must accommodate him, the best we can. I will not compromise on that.
“He is right now outside the country and by the grace of God when he comes back we will go back to the drawing board and put ours heads together again and see what we will get.
“I cannot preempt that, I will wait until we hold that meeting with the President-elect,” Adamu said
He assured the lawmakers that the party’s leadership would go through your memo with a view to addressing issues contained in it.
“Whatever you heard is the art of human endeavour and we are not perfect as human beings. We can make mistakes.
“So, if we find in the course of further consultations the mistakes that need to be looked at, we will look at them. The important thing is that the spirit of the party must be kept alive.
“Our eyes must stay on the ball but in doing so we must make sure justice will be done, we will do the best as human beings to deliver justice to all and sundry,” Mr Adamu said.
