The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has rejected the adoption of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, as the next Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
The group also called on the attention of the incoming President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to watch his back and guard against entrenched ‘Judases’ who are bent on pitching him against democracy.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, CNG’s spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman cautioned the President-elect against the antics of vested personal interests.
According to him, “we emphatically call on the leadership of the APC to reclaim its statesmanship by immediately reversing the decision on Akpabio and Abbass, and setting the stage for the emergence of a credible National Assembly leadership through democratic elections by its members as enshrined in our Constitution”.
The group warned that if this and any similar arrangements are allowed to pass through, the North as a whole would be deliberately short-changed by stripping it of the three main democratic influences which would be absolutely unacceptable as it said it was unjustifiable.
CNG said: “We encourage all other aspirants for any position in the National Assembly to disregard this purported, undemocratic arrangement and insist on the emergence of their leadership through acceptable, constitutionally recognized democratic elections.
“We urge all aspirants to the position of the House Representatives Speaker, such as (Muktar Aliyu) Betara, (Idris) Wase, (Alhassan) Doguwa, and the rest from all sections of the country to insist on a transparent and democratic emergence of leaders of the House.
“We renew our commitment to engaging all leaders and fellow Nigerians as we have always done as northerners to form a coalition to reclaim, restore and protect the sanctity of our hard-earned democracy”.
