A former Deputy Nationwide Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Yekini Nabena, on Monday, backed the quick previous Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to emerge as Senate President forward of Tuesday’s election of presiding officers for the tenth Nationwide Meeting.
Whereas stating that the selection of Akpabio would steadiness the Muslim-Muslim ticket that introduced in President Bola Tinubu and his deputy, Senator Kashim Shettima, Nabena begged senators-elect from the North, together with former Governor Abdulaziz Yari to work in the direction of uniting the nation.
The previous APC picture maker was reacting to Sunday’s intervention by each Tinubu and Shettima, an motion that led to the withdrawal of two main contenders for the place of Speaker from the race.
On the political parley, Aliyu Betara from the North-East and Yusuf Gagdi from North-Central agreed to step down from the race and endorse the popular candidate of the get together from the North-West, Tajuddeen Abbas, for the place.
In an announcement launched in Abuja on Monday, Nabena famous that there was no means the North ought to be allowed to have the positions of Vice President, Speaker, Secretary to the Authorities of the Federation, and Senate President on the identical time.
He mentioned: “For the sake of fairness, justice and equity, I’ll attraction to all of the senators-elect to rally round Akpabio to emerge as the following president. This has turn out to be vital as a result of the 2 main contenders within the race for the place of Speaker have withdrawn and declared their assist for Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, which implies that the highway is nearly clear for the emergence of one other Muslim from the North because the quantity 4 citizen.
“Subsequently, there may be want for non secular balancing in authorities and for the truth that solely South-south will likely be neglected of equation if the place of Senate President eludes the area, therefore the extra cause Senators-elect ought to rally assist for Senator Godswill Akpabio as the following Senate President.
“Because it stands right now, the South-west has produced the President, the North-east has the Vice President, the North-west is about to provide the Speaker, (Notice that the three of them are Muslims), the North-central has the SGF and the South-East to provide the Deputy Speaker. So, the place is the South-south?
“We’re additionally begging Senators-elect from the north to forgive Senator Akpabio if he has completed something improper prior to now for the sake of nationwide unity and non secular concord by permitting him to emerge the following Senate President.”