The Senate spokesperson, Ajibola Bashir, said on Wednesday that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership and lawmakers will consider many variables before electing presiding officers for the 10th National Assembly. He added that the APC will decide on a zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th Assembly either at the end of the ongoing Ramadan fast or before June 2023. Bashir made these remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
“The party leadership and the members of the 10th Assembly will have to weigh numerous factors,” Bashir explained. “For example, there are religious considerations: the President is a Muslim and the Vice‑President is a Muslim. Would it not be reasonable to have a Christian as President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives? Such arguments cannot be dismissed, especially given the increasingly divisive nature of politics in Nigeria.” He also noted the political weight of the North‑West geopolitical zone, which contributed the bulk of the votes that secured the presidency, asking whether its contribution should be discounted.
Regarding the party’s zoning decision, Bashir said, “I believe our party will ultimately decide on zoning after Ramadan and certainly before June, when the next Assembly is convened.” He argued that zoning would be in the party’s best interest because it would narrow the number of contestants; “when you have eight persons from a single party contesting, it creates a problem for us to have a cohesive force going into the election.”
Bashir further clarified that the APC National Working Committee and the party’s National Executive Committee have not yet decided which of the six geopolitical zones will produce the next Senate President. “I’m not aware that the NWC has taken a position on zoning, nor that the NEC has made any decision. Party leaders will be making many permutations to ensure a seamless relationship between the executive and legislative arms,” he said.
Reports indicate that at least eight senators have shown interest in the race, including Jibrin Barau (Kano Central), Sani Musa (Niger East), Orji Kalu (Abia North), and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa‑Ibom North‑West). Others are Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Peter Ndubueze (Imo North), Abdul‑Aziz Yari (Zamfara West), and Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), among others.
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