Over 65 Senators Sign, Support Akpabio’s Senate Presidency bid
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Over 65 Senators-elect across political parties have endorsed the Senate Presidency’s bid of former governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio after forming alliance with Senator Barau Jubril who is also interested in the seat.
With this development, Senator Barau will now contest for Deputy Senate President seat.
Akpabio has begun to leverage relationship and advantage as a former governor and senator to gain edge over other contenders to the office of the senate president.
The former Minority Leader of the senate, even as a first timer, is said to have in his camp at the time of filing this report, about 65 senators, who were said to have signed off their commitment, after declaring support for his ambition.
The senators, comprising new and old members, were believed to have lined up behind Akpabio, because of the need to balance the north/south dichotomy as well as faith at the top echelon in the power equation, since the incoming president, Bola Tinubu, and his deputy, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims.
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But, indication emerged that former governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomole is also nursing the ambition of contesting for Senate President.
Oshiomhole has refused to give up on his aspiration, even though he has been quiet and discreet about it, hoping that things would soon get to a head and the current cards would be reshuffled to his advantage.Oshiomhole, who is disadvantaged because he is not a ranking senator, is said to be relying on the provisions of the constitution, which allows all senators to run as a function of their fundamental human rights, and regardless of the extant rules.
But the fate of the former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is dependent to a very large extent, on how the entire gamut of the aspirations of other qualified and aspiring senators, play out before June, when the leadership election would hold.In the same vein, Kalu, who is seen by many of his colleagues and party members as having some credibility crisis hanging on his neck, thought he was not only qualified, but has the capacity and means to lead the senate.
