By EDEKI IGAFE

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has urged the APC leadership in the Senate to zone the position of Senate President to the South-South region.

The group made the call in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ken Robinson, on Tuesday in Warri.

The forum also implored the president-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, other key stakeholders of the APC, and indeed senators-elect of all the political parties and their parties hierarchy to support the ceding of the next senate presidency to the South-South zone.

The group observed that since the beginning of this current political dispensation in 1999, the South-South zone had not had a turn in the office of the senate president.

It also noted that the last time someone from the present South-South states occupied the office of senate president was during the second Republic, from 1979 to 1983.

The group said that zoning the senate presidency to the South-South region would guarantee equity and fairness in the political arrangement in the country.

“Ostensibly, the South-South zone has an unassailable reason to step up to the senate presidency, after 24 years of our current democratic experience. No contrary arguments can stand against this South-South position.

“PANDEF, implores the president-elect, senator Tinubu, alongside other key stakeholders of the APC, and, indeed, senators-elect of all parties and the party hierarchies, to support the ceding of the incoming senate presidency to the South-South.

“This is, unarguably, the fair and proper thing to do at this time of our country’s political progression,” it said.

The group expressed displeasure over some of the names reported in the media, to have indicated interest in the senate presidency.

It said that the APC had upheld the principle of rotation of key political offices between the North and the South, in respect of the presidency of the federation.

“Therefore, APC is expected to maintain the same modus for the other major elective political offices like the senate presidency, speakership of the House of Representatives and their deputies.

“Surely, the leadership of the APC cannot be entirely unmindful of the fact that a “Muslim senate presidency” will bring further imperilment to national order.

“PANDEF, as a body of patriots and proven committed stakeholders in the Nigerian project is compelled to issue this timely advice in the national interest,” the group said.

The forum, however, urged politicians to draw lessons from recent happenings in the polity and demonstrate grander statesmanship and patriotism in designing the leadership of the upcoming 10th National Assembly

It also cautioned that obsessive political characters should not be allowed to blur this all-important issue with the usual ignoble hoarse recourse to “internal affair” status. (NAN)