Senate Presidency: Akpabio’s Bid suffers setback as Senators-elect push for Kalu, Yari ticket

 

The decision of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to impose his prefered candidates on the forthcoming 10th Senate, has suffered serious setback on Tuesday, as Senators-elect have vowed to resist the plan and elect their own candidates.

The zoning formula of the party which was released on Monday is reported to have provoked the Senators-elect to step up their earlier desire to vote for their choice in the persons of the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Abdulaziz Yari, for the top two leadership positions in the Red Chambers.

Tinubu had reportedly endorsed the candidatures of Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin for Senate President and Deputy Senate President, which was further ratified by the APC at a Press Conference held yesterday at the Party's National Headquarters in Abuja.

However, the move has continued to generate opposition from the Senators-elect as they resist Tinubu and the Party's hierarchical decision while insisting to ensure the realisation of their choice of Kalu and Yari.

Prominent Northwest Senator-elect, who pleaded not to be named, described the actions of Tinubu as not only disappointing but provocative. According to the Senator- elect, Akpabio remains an unpopular candidate due to his dented image and series of betrayals. 

The Senator in waiting fingered Akpabio as having played a major role in the prison incarceration of Akwa-Ibom North East Senator Bassey Albert and Delta North Senator, Peter Nwaoboshi, having seen both of them as political rivals in the realisation of his Senate Presidency ambition.

The Northwest Senator vowed to thwart APC's dictorial plot saying: "Akpabio is considered a strong enemy of the Senate as an institution with his records of backstabbing and series of betrayals of his own kinsmen. The plan of the APC to impose a candidate to the National Assembly is dead on arrival. Currently Senator Nwaoboshi is serving an undeserved jail term Senator Albert just escaped a 42 years jail term after spending months in prison and these are the handiworks of Akpabio all because of his ambition, there's no way we would let such a personality preside over the Senate."

Accusing Tinubu of denying other contestants the privilege of an open contest which he enjoyed, another returning Senator from the North-West region described Tinubu’s endorsement as dictatorship.

The angered North West Lawmaker, expressed his dismay over the development, according to him President Buhari ,Northern Governors and the APC pushed for zoning of the Presidency to the South without selecting any preferred Presidential candidate but rather allowed an open contest to give all candidates from the region equal opportunity..

Also, a third-term Senator from North East disclosed that northern Senators were working across party lines to ensure a revenge against Tinubu for stoking the confusion that attended the inauguration of Eighth Senate.   

  

He explained that the activities of Tinubu in the lead up to the inauguration of the Eighth Assembly were being reviewed by influential political leaders from the zone, stressing that it has been discovered that the President-elect wanted to be the power behind the throne in 2015.

Yet dismissing Akpabio’s endorsement, a Senator-elect from the South South cited that in 2019 the party avoided the mistake of foisting their prefered candidate on the Legislature but rather announced the zoning of the No:3 position to the North East, which allowed candidates from the region to test their popularity at the floor of the Senate in which the current Senate President, Ahmad Lawan later emerged after defeating Senator Ali Ndume.

The Senators-elect said: "We won't be cowed to the the bidding of the President elect , as a matter of fact we already have our own candidates who we are sure will work in the best interest of Nigerians , acrimony free Senate and also the the executive arm of Government. To say the least we are confident in the joint ticket of Senator Yari and Orji Kalu. Either of them are good to go for any of the two positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President."