Zoning Is Part And Parcel Of Nigeria Politics-Akume

Senate Minority Leader and contender for the office of the Senate President for the 8^th National Assembly, Senator George Akume yesterday disagree with Bisi Akande and Bola Tinubu over the duos statement that zoning won’t be used to determine the next Senate President.

Speaking with newsmen on Friday, Akume said that the party, before now, had adopted a zoning arrangement which favoured the emergence of the president of the 8th senate, from the North Central, being his geopolitical zone.

According to Akume, insisted that zoning was part and parcel of the politics of Nigeria, arguing that Dr.Goodluck Jonathan became the President of Nigeria as a result of zoning.

Akume said; “Even if zoning is not explicitly stated in the Constitution, there is always this letting to understanding that there must be fairness and balance in the occupation of strategic positions. We should not throw away zoning.

“In every zone, there are capable Nigerians that will hold their own in every endeavour. So, basically zoning is acceptable to me because it ensures stability. I have not heard from the party that they have jettisoned zoning.

“I remember, the last meeting we had, there was this issue that it has been zoned to the North-Central. I do not know it has been taken away because the party has not said they are taking it away but all I want to say is that the party made a comment on it.

“I am a faithful party man. I was part of the team that negotiated the merger of this party and I am also in the privilege position to talk about the dynamism of APC.”

According to Akume said he said there  was nothing wrong with the North- Central, and in particular, Benue State,   producing the Senate President all the time even as he argued that the North-West has also, always producing the president of the country.

He said, “I moved from one platform to another. From PDP which I co-founded to the ACN and eventually, I became the Minority Leader and in that vantage position, I became the Chairman or the leader of the caucus party in the Senate.

“I believe that given this track record, I am sufficiently prepared to take a short at the highest office in the Senate.

“As a Minority Leader, automatically I should have become the presiding officer and it is important to take note of this. For anybody to say I withdrew is purely in the imagination of a few.

“To say I withdrew because I have some skeletons in the cupboard is not true. I have a service career that clearly exonerates me from any of these practices that are associated with men and women in public service.

“I believe that I am not a saint and I do know that sainthood is within the realm of extra-ordinary persons and I believe that given my track record and the fact that I have been leading my caucus in the Senate, I should be considered the most worthy man to preside over the affairs of the Senate”