Apex northern advocacy group, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has cautioned President Bola Tinubu not to endorse the imposition of the leadership on the incoming 10th National Assembly.
The Director, Publicity and Advocacy of NEF, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who gave the warning when he appeared as a guest on a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, on Tuesday night, said it would not be in the interest of the new president to impose a leadership on the National Assembly.
“It is not in the interest of President Tinubu to impose a leadership on the National Assembly. It is not in his interest,” Baba-Ahmed said while reacting to a question.
“In fact, the farther that Tinubu is away from the tussle of who becomes Senate President and Deputy, the better.”
Baba-Ahmed also had a different view on the zoning of the leadership of the NASS by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and rather advocated for lawmakers to be allowed to elect their leaders.
“Legislators should be allowed to decide where positions go. That is the argument I have made. I haven’t made an argument saying it must go to the North. I have said there are other elements that need to be considered.
“If the decision is made freely and fairly by legislators, it can go to the South, we will live with it. It can go to the North, we will deal with it. There is no problem,” he said.