According to Bashiru, the APC would decide on a zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th assembly at the end of the ongoing Ramadan fast or before June 2023.
The Senate Spokesperson, Ajibola Bashiru has provided details how the next Senate President will emerge.
Speaking on Wednesday, he explained that the ruling All Progressives Congress leadership and lawmakers will consider many variables to arrive at electing presiding officers for the 10th National Assembly.
This is as he also said the APC would decide on a zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th assembly at the end of the ongoing Ramadan fast or before June 2023.
Bashiru revealed this on Wednesday while speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
He said, “The leadership of the party as well as the members of the 10th Assembly will have to look at so many variables.
“For instance, arguments may be canvassed like the religious argument that the President is a Muslim, the Vice-President is a Muslim, will it not be reasonable to have a Christian as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and you cannot which away such argument particularly when you see the divisive nature that politics has taken in recent time in Nigeria.
“You may also look at the North-West (geopolitical zone) which has produced the bulk of the votes by which we won the Presidency. Will you discountenance their contribution?”
On the party decision for zoning, the Senate spokesperson said, “I believe that our party will ultimately take a decision on the zoning possibly after Ramadan and certainly before June when the next Assembly will be convoked.”
He added, “It will be in the best interest of our party to zone the offices so that we can narrow the number of contestants because when you have eight persons from a single political party contesting, it creates a problem for us to having a cohesive force going into the election.”
Bashiru further said the APC National Working Committee and the party’s National Executive Committee were yet to take any decision on which of the six geopolitical zone would produce the next Senate President.
“I’m not aware that the NWC of our party has taken a position on the issue of zoning and where the zoning will be done.
“I’m not aware that the NEC of our party has taken any decision but party leaders will be making a lot of permutations to ensure a seamless relationship between the executive and the legislative arms,” he said.
The PUNCH reports that no fewer than eight senators had indicated an interest in the race. They include Senators Jibrin Barau (Kano Central), Sani Musa (Niger East), Orji Kalu (Abia North), and GodsWill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom North-West ).
Others are Senators Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Peter Ndubueze (Imo North), Abdul’Aziz Yari (Zamfara West), and Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), amongst others.