Niger Delta stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have called on the leadership and critical stakeholders of the party from the region to support credible and a team player as the next President of the Senate for the sake of equity, fairness and justice.
The group noted that the 2023 general election has created deep gully and division across the country, hence there is an urgent need to give every region a sense of belonging and set off the process of total healing and reconciliation in the country.
The group, which styles itself as Niger Delta Stakeholders for Equity and Justice (NDSEJ), said this in a statement after its meeting at Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, on Monday.
It noted that the nation cannot attain the desired peace and development without equity and justice in the distribution of political offices.
The statement, which was signed by the Convener of the NDSEJ, Chief Alfred Ebikeme, and its Secretary, Prince Victor Ogie Osagie, appealed to APC leaders from the zone to consider and support a southerner to emerge as the Senate president.
According to the group, "We believe in politics of equity, fairness and justice and that is why we are calling our leaders from the Niger Delta region to support a credible, resourceful person who will not lord it over the people as the next Senate president.
"Though we have one of our own, the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who is reported to be eyeing the Senate presidency of the 10th National Assembly, however, his last outing as a supervising minister over the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) left a sour taste in our mouth.
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"It's on record that under his watch, Senator Akpabio blatantly refused to run the NDDC with a functional board. Instead, he opted for sole administrators thereby shutting out the entire leadership of the region in the administration of the Commission. The consequence of this is that the people of the Niger Delta were starved of good and quality representation in the NDDC board.
"We think that at this critical time of our national history, where we are divided along religious and ethnic divides, the Senate leadership that we need is a man that believes in teamwork and not a superman who will lord it over other leaders and colleagues because, in the National Assembly, it will need a great deal of teamwork to pull a bill through.
"What Nigeria needs urgently in the National Assembly is purpose-driven, visionary, selfless and people-oriented leadership, to make informed and relevant laws that will better the lives of Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora.
