A Northern socio-political organisation, the Northern Elders Forum, has warned that the region will not support any selfish lawmaker jostling for leadership of both chambers of the 10th National Assembly.
The organisation urged prospective candidates of northern extraction to pick consensus candidates among themselves.
The northern elders warned against any interference from any quarters, insisting that the independence of the legislative arm should be respected.
The NEF Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spoke virtually in Kaduna on Thursday at a one-day Colloquium organised by Democratic Watch Initiative under the chairmanship of former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.
The colloquium had, as its titled, “Inclusive Participation for Sustainable Democracy.”
Baba-Ahmed, a former secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, recalled that the region produced the highest votes for most of the political parties in the last general elections in the country.
He also lists the qualities any candidate of northern extraction must possess for the topmost seats at the 10th National Assembly, noting that “the North does not want just any legislator from the North to become Speaker.”.
He, however, added that such a candidate should have the “highest personal integrity and a good idea of how his position can help him,” while adding that the “same thing should be done at Senate level.”
