Ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, elder statesman and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has called on senators-elect to support a Christian from the South for senate presidency.
He said this in an open letter to the 109 senators-elect on Friday.
The Ijaw leader identified the need to build bridges of unity, which in his words, were left in tatters during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Clark stated, “The tension over who occupies what position in the 10th Senate is overheating our polity and hurting the fragile peace and unity we are currently having in our beloved country.
“It is time to heal our land, and in so doing, what I expect of the 10th Senate is to give the position of Senate President to a Christian senator from the southern part of the country. It is only fair, equitable and just to do so.
“We have Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima as President and Vice President respectively. Both of them are Muslims. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, is a Muslim.
“Making a Muslim the Senate President will be unacceptable to any discerning mind that thinks well of this country, as it will mean that the three arms of government are all headed by Muslims. It is also to be noted that the person tipped to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives, is equally a Muslim.”
…faults El-Rufai
Meanwhile, Clark chided the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, over his comment that the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress was a deliberate move to ensure the dominance of Islam in the country for the next 20 years.
Clark described as “insensitive, irresponsible, uncouth and arrogant statement credited to Nasir El-Rufai, on his plan to impose the Islamic religion on the country, lasting for the next 20 years.”
He added, “It is a shame and embarrassment that El-Rufai who has been in government since 1999 and has served with former President Olusegun Obasanjo government should commit such a seditious act that could incite violence and tear the country apart.
“What else is a treasonable felony? What is the difference between the action of El-Rufai, and the offence that Nnamdi Kalu (leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra) is accused of?”
