Former Governor of Kano state, Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC Kano South) on Thursday declared his intention to contest the position of deputy senate president in the ninth senate.

Gaya, who is chairman, Senate Committee on Works said that he was vying for the position being the most ranking senator from the North West geopolitical zone.

He explained that the North West zone ought to produce the deputy senate president since the zone gave the highest votes to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections.

He also said that there were strong indications that the APC leadership is considering zoning the Speaker, House of Representatives to the South West, deputy speaker to North Central, while it had already zoned the position of the Senate president to the North East.

He said: “If the six zones are accommodated in the sharing formula for the National Assembly leadership positions, four of them contributed tremendously to the election of Mr. President.”

“The South West, which has now got the position of the Speaker, North East which has not got the position of Senate president, North Central has the position of Deputy Speaker.”

“Considering the zoning arrangement, it is clear that the North West has been left behind and I am a ranking senator from the North West. That means the deputy senate president position should go to North West.”

The Senator, therefore, called on Nigerians to rise above ethnic consideration and ensure that the most qualified persons are elected into positions instead of employing sentiments to determine appointments.

He argued that there was nothing wrong with the northern part of the country to produce the President and Deputy President of the Senate, neither will it be out of order for President Buhari to come from the same zone with the DSP.

“As a former governor, I have the capacity and capability to run the office of the DSP. Politics is leadership. Those who work hard should be rewarded,” he said.

•Sourced from a Tribune report