Senate President: IPAC tips East or South, seeks more slots for women, youth

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) after its general assembly meeting on national issues which was held in Abuja, has backed the South East or South South for the position of Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.
In a communique issued yesterday after the meeting, IPAC said the meeting before arriving at its resolutions, deliberated on issues that will further consolidate the nation’s participatory democracy
The Council, in a communique signed by the National Chairman, Yusuf Sani Yabagi, said to ensure federal character as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, and ethno-religious balancing, the Senate President should be zoned to the South-East or South-South geo-political zone.
“The candidate that will emerge will address the required ethnoreligious balancing in view of the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President-elect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola are all of the same faith.
“This will help to restore confidence of the people from the South-East and South-South geo-political zones and indeed all Nigerians in the unity of the country. Also, the historic precedence is the example of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s PDP Government in 1999 when it deliberately zoned the Senate Presidency to the South-East and ensured that every zone was accommodated in the power sharing equation thereby helping to calm frayed nerves and peace throughout his eight years administration”, the Council said in the communque.
IPAC also called on all relevant stakeholders to embark on deliberate actions that will help to reconcile, heal and unite the nation, saying this will eliminate the winner takes all syndrome and further ethno-religious inclusivity and a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous, equitable and just democratic nation.
It said this is without prejudice to the ongoing election petitions at various election petition tribunals in the country.
“IPAC was deeply concerned by the ethno-religious sentiments that characterized the 2023 general election nomination of Presidential candidates and campaigns, which adversely polarized the nation and undermined issues-based campaigns that would have strengthened our frail electoral process.
“Nigerians witnessed the worst campaign since 1999 when democracy was restored in the country. Council is strongly determined to stop the dastardly do-or-die politics, garrison politics, ethno-religious profiling and stomach infrastructure that have impeded our hard-earned democracy and impoverished the masses who sold their votes for a mess of electoral porridge.
“IPAC demands more appointments of women and youth in government as the most vibrant demographic groups in the country. The continued marginalization of women and youth in the previous and incumbent governments must stop forthwith.
“No nation makes progress without the active participation of women and youth. Their involvement in the 2023 general election was an eloquent testimony of their preparedness to serve the fatherland and should be given the opportunity to do so. Council urges all the key stakeholders to be proactive and run an inclusive government. This is the only way to carry Nigerians along in governance and provide the essential dividends of democracy.
“As the umbrella body of all the registered political parties in Nigeria, IPAC will always be in the vanguard for sustainable democracy and good governance in Nigeria”, IPAC said.