Afrigather Inside the political circle at this very second, one of many questions on the lips of many is, who will turn out to be the subsequent Senate President? It is likely one of the firecest political battles occurring inside the ruling celebration proper now. The stakes are very excessive. The contenders are all gearing up for the large showdown. However the entrance runner stays the previous Minister for Niger Delta Affairs and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio. He, going by the physique language of the celebration hierachy, seems to be the favoured candidate.
Many had been shocked on the emergence of Akpabio as a entrance runner to the senate presidency. The one particular person in whose route everybody was seeking to clinch the seat was the President-elect’s superb good friend, former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu. He was one of many first, if not the very first, to leap out of the blocks firing on all cylinders. He made it clear he wished the seat and confirmed a want and starvation that left nobody unsure as to his seriousness. His declare to the throne, aside from being a really shut good friend of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is hinged on the truth that he’s a rating officer of the senate. Out of the lot vying for the throne, he coinsiders himself essentially the most skilled.
Weeks in the past, the Abia robust man spoke to press males, “I’ll just like the celebration to zone it to my zone, to my village in Igbere as a result of the president-elect wants folks of excessive character to show across the financial system and work for the plenty and make legal guidelines that may allow him flip across the financial system. This as a result of, I’m an financial particular person, an entrepreneur,” he stated.
And as to why he feels he’s most certified, Orji Uzor Kalu responded: “The Senate has guidelines. Let me be sincere with you, if we observe true democracy, I shouldn’t be in contest with any physique, as a result of aside from the senate president, deputy senate president,the Senate Chief, I’m the subsequent rating member within the Senate going by the place I occupy in the present day within the ninth Senate. It’s nearly unattainable that the Senate will elect or zone it to a brand new member of the Senate. The Senate is a longtime establishment that wants any person with an expertise,some one with the talents and can have the ability to relate,” Orji Kalu stated.
Sadly, issues didn’t fairly pan out for Kalu the way in which he anticipated. The senate presidency was not zoned to the south- east, it was taken to the south-south. And that is the place Godswill Akpabio emerged favorite to clinch the seat. And from all inmdications, he has the backing and the endorsement of the President-elect.
In line with Abdullahi Ganduje, the outgoing Kano Governor stated the choice to appoint Akpabio was already a completed deal, however he didn’t clarify if it was a choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) management.
“The senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the south-south and it’s no different particular person than the previous governor of Akwa Ibom,” he stated. “The unusual governor, the unusual minister who’s going to be the unusual president of the senate. So we have now resolved that.”
“I’m providing you with assurance, we’re ready for the D-Day that he would be the senate president of Nigeria.” And if anybody was nonetheless unsure, the drama that occurred at a political occasion two weeks in the past during which the President-elect specifically requested Godswill Akpabio to step out and converse to the gathering is a transparent testomony to the truth that Akpabio not solely has the endorsement of Asiwaju, he additionally has the help of his colleagues. By the point Akpabio stepped out to make his speech, over 40 lawmakers had joined him on stage in solidarity to publicly endorse him as the subsequent Senate President of the tenth Meeting.
The massive query is, why did the President choose to endorse Goodswill Akpabio and ignore his good friend, Orji Uzor Kalu? What’s Godswill Akpabio bringing to the desk? Going by Metropolis Folks investigation, the choice for Akpabio by the president was not primarily based on sentiments however primarily based purely on reasonable political indices. Other than the truth that Akpabio labored onerous for the victory of President Tinubu on the polls, he was a type of who stepped down for Mr. President on the APC major. He simply didn’t step down, he eulogised the president and hailed him as a pacesetter of males, a discoverer of skills and a person who has paid his dues and deserves to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Not like Orji Kalu and a number of the different contenders, Akpabio was very concerned within the presidential campaigns of Tinubu. He was additionally very instrumental to the nice exhibiting of the president throughout the polls within the Niger Delta area. However there have been different elements thought-about by the president, aside from Akpabio’s invaluable contribution to the celebration’s victory on the presidentiall polls.
In line with the Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President, Bola Tinubu, picked Godswill Akpabio as his most well-liked candidate for the place of senate president to keep away from the “adverse narrative of Islamization”.
Shettima revealed this throughout a gathering with some elected lawmakers together with Tajudeen Abbas, whose ambition to be Home Speaker has been endorsed by Mr Tinubu and the ruling celebration, APC. Vice President Shettima stated Tinubu needs to forestall a scenario the place the President, Vice President, Senate President and Speaker of the Home of Representatives would all be Muslims.
The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Shettima and Abbas are all Muslims whereas Akpabio is a Christian.The identical religion ticket of Tinubu and Shettima already created a scenario the place the president and Vice President are Muslims. There have, due to this fact, been calls by many Nigerians for the APC to make sure non secular stability in its selection of presiding officers of the parliament.
President Tinubu and the APC picked Mr Akpabio (South-South) and Barau Jibrin (North-west) as most well-liked senate president and Deputy Senate President respectively. Additionally they picked Abbas (North-west) and Ben Kalu (South-east) as speaker and deputy speaker.
Nonetheless, the choice has been criticised by some lawmakers and members of the celebration for varied causes together with the truth that the North-central was excluded from the association.
Three aspirants for the senate president’s seat, Abdulaziz Yari (APC-Zamfara), Sani Musa (APC-Niger) and Orji Kalu (APC-Abia) have been very vocal in talking towards the association.
Explaining the rationale for the zoning association, Shettima stated “What we try to keep away from is a scenario whereby the primary citizen, quantity two citizen, the quantity three citizen and the quantity 4 citizen are the entire identical religion. That may validate the adverse narrative of the Islamization of Nigeria.
“That’s the reason my principal, the President, a fair-minded particular person, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu insists the quantity three citizen should come from the South-South (Christian). The steadiness of the nation is extra vital than another consideration. We’re speaking about inclusivity,” he stated.
Clearly, the president has made the precise selection. The Muslim-Muslim ticket concern very practically brought about the APC it’s victory. The very last thing the president would need to do now’s take mistaken selections that might rock the boat of his very younger administration.
-WALE LAWAL
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