TheCable

A group known as the Arewa youths of Nigeria (AYON) says the north-west zone deserves to produce the next senate president.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, as the senate president, and Jibrin Barau, senator representing Kano north, as his deputy.

But Abdulaziz Yari,  former governor of Zamfara and senator-elect, has insisted that the north-west should produce the next senate president. He is campaigning to occupy the country’s number three position.

Addressing reporters in Abuja on Thursday during a demonstration, Tanko Abdullahi, the group’s coordinator, said while the north-west gave Bola Tinubu, president-elect, 2,651,927 votes during the election, the south-south was able to muster 799,957 votes.

“We assure the president-elect that the north-west support for him was as a result of our belief that he is a man who believes that political loyalty can only be paid back with political loyalty,” Abdullahi said.

“We do not know the president-elect as a use-and-dump leader. Hence, we want to remind senator Tinubu not to allow Nigerians to begin to see him from the angle of having used and dumped the good people of north-west Nigeria.

“Doesn’t it amount to political suicide to support a south-south that contributed a mere 799,957 votes just nine percent of the total votes to a north-west that contributed 2,651,927 over 30 percent votes to senator Tinubu?

“We have intentionally reeled out these figures so that the president-elect will know that those sycophants trying to deceive him do not wish him well.

“We the north-west youth stand solidly with the northern students, women and leaders that are calling for the senate president to be domiciled in the north-west.”