A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA has urged the All Progressives Congress and the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to zone the Senate presidency to the South-East, while insisting that Senators Osita Izunaso, and Orji Uzor Kalu are highly qualified to head the 10th National Assembly.

HURIWA cautioned that excluding the South-east from the prestigious seat, will offend section 42 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended.

Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of the group, in a statement, warned the APC and the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, against excluding the South-east.

A national newspaper (not The PUNCH) reports that the National Working Committee NWC of the All Progressives Congress adopted a zoning template on Monday for the positions of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly, whereby the Senate President would come from the South-South and specifically, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom). Others are Deputy Senate President – North West-Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano).

However, HURIWA, which noted that no final list of leaders of the National Assembly had been drawn up, backed Senator Orji Uzor Kalu for the prestigious seat of the Senate President in the 10th National Assembly to be inaugurated in June.

The group particularly affirmed that Orji Uzor Kalu is qualified for the eminent position of Senate President on his individual merit, competence, and loyalty to APC.

HURIWA said Orji Kalu and Osita Izunaso have the requisite integrity and ethical merits for such distinguished and pristine offices just as the group dismissed any attempt to exclude the South-east as a declaration of war against Ndigbo.