A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Paul Odili, has called on the national leadership of the APC to consider Delta state for the position of senate president or deputy, based on what he said was the commendable votes and performance from Delta in the recent general elections.
Mr. Odili, a journalist who contested the Ndokwa/Ukwuani House of Representatives seat under the APC banner, told journalists in Asaba yesterday that: “Delta State has contributed significantly to the success of the APC at the national level when assessed with its 2015 outing.
“As such, a legislative position will facilitate the growth of the APC in Delta ahead of the 2023 general elections and put the party in better stead to defeat the more entrenched Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in subsequent elections.”
The move came after the Coalition of Southeast Civil Society and Human Rights Organizations (CSECSHRO) described the agitation for the Senate presidency in the 9th National Assembly by some politicians in the zone as unrealistic.
At a press conference in Enugu, CSECSHRO said the Southeast had, since 1999, produced the Senate President, Deputy Senate president and Deputy Speaker. Conveners of the group, Dr. Jasper Uche and Ibuchukwu Ezike, said the call was based on the federal character principle.
They said: “Northwest has the president and Southwest has the vice president. So Southeast should take the Speaker, since the zone has held Senate president and Deputy Senate President for over two terms.”
They explained that acceding to the clamor would make for increased inroad of the APC in the Southeast, given that the party secured more votes in the recent elections than it did in 2015.
