The Ebonyi State Governor and senator-elect, Dave Umahi, on Tuesday, in Abuja, informed the President Muhammadu Buhari of his intent to be President of the 10th Senate.

Umahi, who disclosed this after meeting with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, argued that “justice, equity and fairness” must guide the All Progressives Congress when zoning the principal offices of the 10th National Assembly.

The meeting came barely 48 hours after two other Senate presidential aspirants, Abdul’Aziz Yari and Godswill Akpabio, visited Buhari to declare their intentions to become the next Senate President.

Yari had met Buhari on Sunday evening where he urged the APC to allow the North to produce the next Senate helmsman having contributed substantial votes towards the victory of the President-elect Bola Tinubu.

Akpabio, who also informed the President of his intention, said he was ready to work with the incoming administration, a promise Umahi also made on Tuesday.

While arguing that the South-East made considerable contributions to Tinubu’s victory, Umahi cautioned the ruling party against gauging its choices of the candidate by vote contributions alone.

He stated that the emerging candidate must be one who gives the APC a fighting chance in the June election.

Umahi said, “I think that every region that is clamouring for the Senate presidency to be zoned to them, it is the right of such people. But if you look at the true reflection of our society, you will agree with me that the right thing to be done by leaders without prejudice to their rights and their thinking is that the South-East deserves number three position.

“This is very important. And I’ve always said that you can deliver somebody by the reason of majority votes of a particular region, but you also need the minority cooperation of the minority people to have a holistic nation to govern.

“This is very important for inclusiveness, for the unity of the country and for everybody to be carried along. Nobody has been able to say this is the reason why the South-East should not be given this position. So, I believe strongly and I’m pleading, and I won’t even say more than what I’m saying, because I’m contesting; let it not be as if I am doing this because I want to benefit from it; but I know the effort we made, as a people, for the unity of the country.

“I know, the way we were regarded because we have been exposed, a number of us. And we understand that we are stronger when we are together. And we made vows to our people while we were campaigning for the APC, we assured them that we belong to an equitable and fair Nigeria. And it has come to a point where that position we took should be practicalised. And that is what we are begging and that’s what we are saying, because the chain is as strong as the weakest link. And it’s a time for healing, it is a time for inclusiveness and it is a time to move this country forward.”

The Punch