Media gurus rally support for Osita Izunaso as Senate President

A former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lanre Ogundipe, yesterday, in Ibadan, led some eminent journalists to rally support for the aspiration of Senator Osita Izunaso for the position of Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.

Ogundipe, who spoke at a special forum organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ at the Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said he had done a deep analysis of all the contenders for the National Assembly’s topmost position and found Izunaso as the most capable and suitable in all aspects.

Other media chiefs at the NUJ forum tagged: “State of the Nation,” that include former National Vice Chairman of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Bose Oyewola; former Chairman, NUJ, Oyo State Council, Victor Oluwadamilare; former Director, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kemi Ajayi and former Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor, Kehinde Olaosebikan, all agreed with Ogundipe that Izunaso towered far above all those competing with him for the position, particularly from the South-East.

The journalists argued that Senator Izunaso was the most educated and organised person among the candidates and possessed the right personality and image without any baggage whatsoever.

In addition, the veteran journalists held that Izunaso, having served as a personal aide to presiding officers in the two chambers and subsequently becoming a member of both the Green and Red chambers, has an edge in terms of profound understanding of the workings of the National Assembly.

They also held that the fact that Izunaso, being the highest-ranking senator among the contestants, made him the first choice for the nation’s Number Three position.

The veterans said that the issue of zoning the Senate Presidency should not give the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) any serious issue as the most reasonable thing for the party is to zone the position to the South-East in the best interest of the nation.

The former NUJ President, therefore, charged the leadership of the party to give the position to the Imo West senator who “has distinguished himself over time as a loyal and committed party man, a great administrator, an uncommon detribalised Nigerian and the best among those who have thrown their hats into the ring for Senate Presidency.

In his remarks, Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Bayo Raji, said the chapel organised the forum to enrich public discourse on major national issues.