The youth wing of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Northwest, has publicly endorsed Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin as their preferred choices for Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively.
The group believes that the selection of Akpabio, who hails from the Southsouth, and Jibrin from the Northwest, will help foster national unity and build the confidence of party members across Nigeria.
They highlighted that both Senators possess a wealth of experience and have established track records of achievement.
In a statement, the Northwest APC Youths Leader, Abdulhamid Umar Moh’d, emphasized that both Akpabio and Jibrin have wide acceptance across the country due to their contributions to the victory of the president-elect in the recent polls.
“The choice of Akpabio and Jibrin is highly appropriate as they both made significant contributions to ensure Tinubu’s election win,” Moh’d said.
He further outlined how Akpabio had set aside his own presidential ambitions to support Bola Tinubu, and Jibrin’s efforts were instrumental to APC’s victory in the Northwest.
Moh’d pointed out the strategic importance of their regions, highlighting that Southsouth had given the second-highest votes for the party, only behind Southwest which is the home region of the President-elect.
Moreover, the Northwest had the highest vote share in the North, with Kano State consistently giving APC the highest votes in every election since the party’s inception.
The youth leader argued for the importance of experienced leaders who are ready to support President-elect Tinubu.
“We need pan-Nigerians who have been tested and trusted, proven worthy of integrity, character, and prudent management to lead the Senate. Hence, the choice of Akpabio and Jibrin” Moh’d said.
Given that the President-elect and Vice President-elect hail from the Southwest and Northeast respectively, Moh’d proposed that the Senate President’s role be zoned to the Southsouth and the Deputy Senate President to the Northwest, reinforcing that Akpabio and Barau are both experienced and competent lawmakers.
