Senators-elect for the 10th Assembly are mobilising against the plans by the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to make the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president, Daily Trust Saturday has gathered.
It was also reliably gathered that governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are divided on the matter, with some of them favourably disposed to Asiwaju’s choice of Akpabio, while others believe the North should produce the next Senate president.
Infopowerng reported that Tinubu had settled for Akpabio and Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano) as Senate president and deputy respectively.
This was after he met with some key stakeholders of the ruling party, including some members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
But impeccable sources told this newspaper that even the NWC of the party is divided as some want Akpabio, others want Senator Jibrin Barau from Kano, while some want the position ceded to the South East.
Recall that Tinubu had met with all APC governors on Thursday; and yesterday, he met with the party’s governors from the North West, where Barau comes from.
Although Tinubu’s office issued a statement after Thursday’s meeting, saying it was meant to seek the support of the governors in having a seamless election of presiding officers of the National Assembly, there was no statement from Friday’s meeting.
Indication emerged yesterday that lawmakers-elect, especially those who are returning to the Red Chamber, are against the nomination of Akpabio as Senate president.
This is despite the ongoing consultation by Tinubu with critical stakeholders of the party.
Some senators interviewed said Akpabio would not be able to pilot the affairs of the parliament.
One of them, a northerner, said the Senate presidency should go to the North and not the South, given the contributions of the zone to the victory of Tinubu during the February presidential election.
He said, “Akpabio will not fly, for two reasons. One, he contributed nearly nothing to the victory of Tinubu, aside stepping down for him during the primary election. Two, he disparaged the parliament during the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) probe.” He, therefore, urged Tinubu to have a change of mind.
Infopowerng reports that in the 109-seat Senate, the APC has 59 senators, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 36; Labour Party (LP) eight, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) two, Social Democratic Party (SDP) two, Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) one seat each.
To win the Senate presidency, a simple majority of votes is required when the parliament is inaugurated in June after the transmission of a letter of a proclamation by the president to the Clerk of the National Assembly.