The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, yesterday said the office of the Senate President for the incoming 10th National Assembly should not be zoned.
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had earlier told the lawmakers to await the zoning of presiding offices after consultation with the president-elect.
But Ndume reportedly said such a move would be unconstitutional.
He urged the party to throw the race open so the most competent senator-elect will emerge president.
He said since the party threw its presidential and governorship races open for all those wishing to contest, it would be out of place for it to now zone the position of Senate President to any of the geopolitical zones.
Ndume said,
“Why should it (Senate President) be zoned? I said it before that the party should throw it open so that the most competent person can be elected.
“This is not the general election. So, since it is an election of the Senators, all senators can contest.
“We are only 109, so just tell the 109 senators to go and bring the person that would preside. That’s all.”
On whether he is saying the party did wrong by saying it plans to zone the position of presiding officers of the 10th Senate, He said,
“The party did not say they are going to zone. It did not talk about zoning.”
When reminded that Adamu had said the party would zone the position, Ndume said,
“Did he say so?”
When further reminded that Adamu said it during a meeting with National Assembly members-elect at the Presidential Villa before the governorship and House of Assembly election, he stated,
“No, no, no! I was at the Villa. Were you at the Villa?
“I was at the Villa and in the meeting. The party Chairman said that we should de-emphasize campaigning for who becomes the Senate President and let’s go and concentrate on the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.
“Then the party would consider or advise properly on how the leadership of the National Assembly is going to emerge.
“The party did not even do that at the presidential level. They didn’t do that at the gubernatorial level, why should it be done at the Senatorial level?”
“Did the party zone the position of President to a particular place? I think the party stayed away from that.
“Even the party’s so-called preferred candidate was Ahmad Lawan. It was not Tinubu, isn’t it?”
