TheCable

Abdulmumin Jibrin, member-elect of the house of representatives, says a northern Muslim should not be supported to become senate president.

Speaking on Wednesday in an interview with Channels Television, Jibrin said using the 1999 template, the next senate president should be from the south-east geopolitical zone.

Jibrin is expected to represent Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency in Kano state at the 10th national assembly.

Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th national assembly in June, there has been intense politicking by lawmakers elect for leadership positions in the senate and house of representatives.

Since Bola Tinubu, president-elect, and Kashim Shettima, vice president-elect, are both Muslims, there have been suggestions that there is a need for religious balancing in leadership positions of the national assembly.

Commenting on the situation, Jibrin said the positions of the deputy senate president and speaker should be zoned to the north-central and north-west, respectively.

“My personal opinion — if you look at the entire controversy of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, I think anybody who loves this country should not be thinking that the number 3 position should be a northern Muslim,” he said.

“The appropriate thing is that the position should go to a southern Christian. I believe that anybody who wants it the other way round loves himself more than the country.”

‘WE TAUGHT GANDUJE A POLITICAL LESSON’

Speaking on his feud with Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, Jibrin said he was “pushed away” from the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Kano governor.

The lawmaker-elect said he and other APC defectors “taught” Ganduje a political lesson in the recently concluded general election.

“We weren’t wanted in APC. The governor does not want a lot of us in APC. So he practically ensured that he pushed us away,” he added.

“Of course, we went back, got ourselves together and taught him a political lesson of his life.”