The race for the highly coveted position of Senate President in the upcoming 10th National Assembly has intensified, prompting renowned Professor of Communications and public affairs commentator, Abiodun Adeniyi, to caution the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on its approach towards the Southeast region in the Federal Republic. Recent weeks have seen calls from various parts of the country for the APC to allocate the Senate President slot to the Southeast in order to achieve a fair power-sharing arrangement.
However, some voices within the ruling party have opposed this idea, arguing that the Igbos should not be given the third most powerful political office due to their overwhelming vote against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the presidential elections.
During an interview on ARISE TV's 'Prime Time' program with Charles Aniagolu, Professor Adeniyi expressed his views on the ongoing controversy. He emphasized that the APC's power-sharing formula should not be based solely on the number of votes a region contributed to the party's presidential candidate. Instead, he advocated for inclusiveness and equity in the upcoming government, suggesting that the ruling party should avoid antagonizing the Southeast for their voting patterns and work towards bringing them into the fold.
"The Southeast has been on the front burner over oblivious issues of marginalization. And one way that the APC can start to bring about inclusion is to give the Igbos some good positions. Positions shouldn't be given to them based on the number of votes they brought to the table".
Drawing on historical precedent, Adeniyi called on Tinubu to learn from former President Olusegun Obasanjo's approach when faced with a region that initially rejected him at the polls. He highlighted that despite lacking support from the Southwest in 1999, Obasanjo did not isolate or antagonize the Yorubas for not voting for him.
On the contrary, he appointed individuals from the Southwest to prominent positions, leading to the gradual reintegration of the Yorubas into the national political landscape. As a result, in 2003, Obasanjo garnered overwhelming support from the Southwest. Adeniyi urged the APC to adopt a similar approach, emphasizing the importance of building trust and support with the Southeast through a gradual process.
Content created and supplied by: HealthTourist (via Opera News )
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