From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Caucus, a coalition of Stakeholders drawn from the National Assembly and business community, has decried the desperate attempt by the opposition parties to take over Kano and the entire North West geopolitical zone from the APC.
The group made the allegation during a press conference, lamenting the incessant calls by members of the opposition parties, especially the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) on the APC leadership not to zone the Senate Presidency to the North West.
Spokesperson who addressed newsmen on behalf the group, Musa Ahmed Jauro Dutse, argued that it was part of the grand plan to deny the zone powerful government position, dig in, expand membership and ultimately take over Kano and the entire region in 2027.
He maintained that the whole essence of these opposition parties crying more than the bereaved on the zoning issue is simply to mislead the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders of the APC into jettisoning the North West to weaken and overrun it.
“We have uncovered their grand plots to engage in massive propaganda to demarket the North West zone from the Senate Presidency race because of their desperate and selfish interest in taking over the zone in the absence of a strong political office holder in the mould of the Senate President.
“That is why we are exposing them so that our leaders like the President-elect will not be carried away by their antics. The North West gave the highest votes to our party in the presidential election and that justice and fairness demands that the zone be compensated for the feat.
“Instead, they are busy mischievously plotting against the APC in other to take over the zone in 2027. We must resist them, we must not allow them to succeed in their desperate plans.
“The North West must not be pushed aside in the race, rather the zone should be compensated for being the highest voting block. The zone needs to be supported to have the Senate President’s slot so it can be put in the best position to do more for APC in 2027 God willing,” the group noted.
It however advised that since the South West had taken the Presidency and North East, the Vice-Presidency, it was only expedient to allow the North West take the Senate Presidency.
“The North West is the fulcrum of the Hausa/Fulani people of Nigeria. Whatever happens to the North West, has direct or indirect effect(s) on all the Hausa Fulani people of Nigeria;
So, if the Senate Presidency is zoned to the North West, it can be said to have been zoned to the entirety of the Hausa Fulani people of Nigeria,” the group stated.
It reinstated its full support for the candidature of Senator Barau Jibrin for the presidency of the 10th Senate, arguing that he has the requisite competence, cognate experience, capacity and above all among the highest ranking senators among others in the zone.