Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State in a meeting with Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari says he is confident that the South-East ought to lead the Senate.
Umahi told Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to the President of the 10th Senate during their meeting.
The Governor made the case that the South-East contributed significantly to the election success of Bola Tinubu and that it is important to support all regions of the nation.
Governor Umahi added that he has sufficient leadership experience in the public sector as a two-term governor and the private sector as a businessman to lead the 10th Senate.
He also stated that the ranking issue cannot supersede the nation’s Constitution, which guarantees equal rights to all citizens.
He urged the All Progressives Congress, the party in power, to preserve “justice, equity, and fairness” when allocating the major posts of the 10th National Assembly, warning the party against selecting its candidate solely on the basis of vote contributions.
“If you say the South-East did not overwhelmingly vote for APC, at least the South-East massively defended that APC should not be out-voted,” he said in a statement to State House reporters after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa. This is very crucial.
Only 48 hours had passed since Godswill Akpabio and Abdul’Aziz Yari, two other Senate candidates running for president, visited Buhari to announce their intentions to fill the nation’s third-highest office.
Yari had met Buhari on Sunday night and had argued that the APC should allow the North to produce the next Senate leader because they significantly influenced Bola Tinubu’s election by casting their votes.
Akpabio said he was prepared to cooperate with the next administration, a pledge Umahi also made on Tuesday.
“If you look at the genuine reflection of our society, you will agree with me that the correct thing to do by leaders without regard to their rights and their views is that the South-East deserves the number three position,” Umahi told journalists.
“I’ve always maintained that while you can appoint someone based on the votes of a certain region’s majority, you also need the minority’s support to have a comprehensive nation to rule. This has major significance.
So far, nobody has been able to argue that the South-East shouldn’t hold this position in order to maintain inclusivity and the country’s unity for the benefit of all.
He responded to earlier criticism of the South-East’s donations made by other candidates by saying, “Everyone in the South agreed with governors that the next President should come from the South. And such was the stance of Rivers State Governor Wike. This is why I backed APC. So I had to work with him to make sure we won votes for the APC in other areas.
“I believe that we deserve a stake after playing all of these roles, fighting for the nation’s unity, and bravely switching to the APC during a crucial period for the EndSars. APC’s victory did not occur overnight. It didn’t just appear right before the election. For it, many people laboured. The northern governors contributed as well.
“For this reason, we are requesting and asking the majority of voters to show some understanding with us more so than the votes we (in the South-East) contributed to our party. to demonstrate some compassion in light of the degree of dedication.”
Umahi contends that the incoming candidate needs to give the APC an opportunity to compete in the election in June. Inspiring support from the opposition in the National Assembly, he continued, would result from allowing the South-East to create the next Senate President.
He stated he had accumulated enough leadership miles in the public sector as a two-term governor and in the private sector as a businessman to lead the 10th Senate when asked about ranking in the Senate Rules on selecting presiding officers.
“If you look at my background, you’ll see that I’m a man who has managed my company from the ground up to multi-billion dollar enterprises. I have to deal with individuals.
“I served as party chairman for two terms totalling five years. I’ve successfully run a state for almost eight years. He declared, “I have all the experience, humility, honesty, and integrity.
Umahi described his visit to the White House as an invitation to the President to open the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Ebonyi State.
”Our airport is not a cargo airport, he revealed. It is a global airport that manages cargo, as well as domestic and international aircraft. It bears President Muhammadu Buhari’s name. I came to let him know the airport was ready. We have conducted test flights. And it is prepared for his arrival and commissioning”, he added.