A group under the aegis of the Christian Organisations of Nigeria (CON), has thrown its weight behind the Senate Presidency ambition of a former Governor of Zamfara, Abdul’aziz Yari, who represents Zamfara West in the Senate.
Apostle Paul Nwokoro, CON President General, at a joint news conference on Thursday in Abuja, said given the peculiarities of time, the in-coming 10th Assembly needed leaders with experience and capacity to hit the ground running.
He said Senators-elect should therefore jettison any form of endorsement, adding that Nigeria is a common patrimony where everyone must rise up to endorse only a candidate who is committed to their well-being.
He said the in-coming 10th Assembly is not a place where cheap religious sentiments could fly.
He maintained that the Senate is where Nigeria must speak as one united and indivisible entity, hence, every religious, ethnic and racial divisions must be discouraged.
According to Nwokoro, Yari is one of the notable nationalists who had displayed administrative competence and commitment to the country’s socio-economic development.
“He has always put the country’s interest at heart in all his endeavours, and this has undoubtedly earned him tremendous respect across the country, an attribute he will put to good use if elected Senate President,” he said.
The CON President General added that several propaganda machinery deployed to hoodwink Senators-elect to vote against Yari would not work.
“CON, after a critical assessment of all the contestants irrespective of their religious divide, has chosen to endorse Sen. Abdul’aziz Yari because he is the most capable.
“It is our candid opinion that the leadership of the APC should allow the North-West Zone where Yari hails from to produce the country’s next Senate President, especially as the zone gave more than 30 per cent of the winning votes to President Bola Tinubu during the last presidential election,” he said.
Nwokoro said the CON had critically examined the credentials of other aspirants in the race, particularly those from the North-West, before arriving at the conclusion that Yari is most suitable to be the next Senate President.
He said the CON was convinced that among those rooting to be Senate President, only Yari possessed the proven integrity, honesty and experience necessary for such a position.
He said as a ranking senator with vast knowledge in politics following his rich legislative experience, character, qualifications, accountability and loyalty, Yari deserved to succeed Sen. Ahmed Lawan as the next Senate President in the 10th Assembly.
“It must be stated that given the peculiarities of time, the need to have leaders with experience and the capacity to hit the ground running should be emphasised in this current dispensation.
“This much has been the trademark of Yari, hence our endorsement of his aspiration, which represents the country’s best interest in this critical time of our existence,” he said.
Nwokoro, therefore, enjoined other groups to endorse Yari as the most competent for the number three position in Nigeria.and called on stakeholders in the country to do same.