The President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to guard against supporting any of the aspirants angling for the seat of the Senate President found wanting of indulging in corrupt practices.
The counsel came from the Policy Advocacy and Integrity Network Nigeria in a statement made available to the Guardian yesterday in Abuja.
The Group Executive Director, Josh Mesele remarked that the advice became necessary in view of the invitation letter extended to one of the aspirants from the Southern part of the country by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) to answer allegations of corruption.
The group noted: “We at Policy Advocacy and Integrity Network Nigeria think it expedient to advise the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be wary of who to support for the position of the Presidency of the Senate or even the Speakership of House of Representatives.
“This is to ensure that his administration does not take off with the blight of putting corrupt personalities in those high offices. If an aspirant is being invited here and there by the anti-corruption agencies, the onus is on such an aspirant to get himself or herself exonerated before throwing hats into the ring. That is the correct moral step to take”.
Among those angling for the seat of the Senate President are former Akwa Ibom Governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Senator Barau Jibrin (Kano) and Senator Sani Musa (Niger), Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia).
Those pushing for the emergence of Akpabio as Senate President argued that he deserve the seat since he not only backed Tinubu during the presidential primary, his south-south geopolitical zone contributed immensely to his victory in the recently held presidential poll.
Recall that Akpabio was the supervising Minister of the Niger Delta development commission (NDDC) before he resigned from his appointment to make an unsuccessful bid for the presidential ticket of the ruling All progressive congress (APC) last year.
For Kalu and his supporters, it would be fair and equitable to allow the South East geopolitical zone to produce the Senate President while both Jibrin and Musa contend that emphasis should be placed on merit and experience rather than the primordial sentiments of religion and ethnicity in making the choice of the Senate President.
