Reports emerging ahead of next Tuesday’s inauguration of the 10th National Assembly claimed that some lawmakers had revoked their support for Godswill Apkabio and queued behind Abdulaziz Yari for the 10th Senate Presidency race after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu last week.
OsunDaily News reports that senators elected in the 10th National Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and those from the opposition parties are divided over the assembly’s key positions.
It was gathered that Tinubu, during the meeting with the Senators-elect and Members-elect of the House of Representatives earlier, endorsed the APC zoning formula but only charged the incoming legislators to vote for candidates of their choice as Senate President and House Speaker in line with provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Rules of the National Assembly.
The Nigerian leader was said to have expressed serious concerns over undermining the independence of the legislature and charged the lawmakers to agree among themselves as provided by the Rules of the Senate.
Reports, however, emerging two days ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly said that Yari’s Senate Presidency bid has received a major boost.
Senators-elect, including those of the APC who hitherto were in support of the party’s preferred candidate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, are said to have now gravitated to the former Governor of Zamfara State, Yari.
The latest decision is said to have now put Yari in a clear lead having secured the support of a majority number of the Senators-elect ahead of the June 13, 2023 inauguration date.
Leadership quoted an APC Senator-elect, who is close to the ruling party to have said that President Tinubu’s action has further showcased him as a true democrat and believer in the Rule of Law, adding that his position was well-received by lawmakers-elect across party lines.
“President Tinubu has shown that he is a true democrat and firm believer in the Rule of Law. He is a Senator of the Federal Republic and a very experienced politician.
“He understands the workings of democracy in respecting the independence of the legislature and we assured him that no matter who emerged as Senate President and House Speaker, he can always count on our full cooperation.
“The majority of the Senators-elect are supporting Senator Yari. That does not mean that we are in confrontation with President Tinubu or the party. No! Far from that. We are rather deepening our democracy to even help the executive to function well under a stable democratic atmosphere. We are not in confrontation with anybody and I can assure you that we are all on the same page now,” the APC chieftain reportedly stated.
The lawmaker-elect, who is from the South-South, however, confirmed that leaders of the APC have started backtracking on Senator Akpabio’s choice in the face of new realities, which have been worsened by Akpabio’s alleged cold relationship with many lawmakers of the 9th Assembly.
According to him, many of the Senators-elect are not at home with Akpabio for accusing National Assembly members of hugely benefiting from large contracts in the NDDC without proof.
A Senator-elect was recently reported to have queried how an individual who denigrated the National Assembly can preside over the same institution.
“I have withdrawn support for Senator Akpabio. It’s not only me. Many of us have withdrawn our support and it will show on the floor. I used to have very high regard for Senator Akpabio as a person but I can’t support him to be the Senate President. How can he (Akpabio) come and preside over an institution which he once described as a cesspit of corruption after benefitting from the same institution,” the Senator-elect was reported to have said.
Meanwhile, parliamentary watch groups including the Coalition for Parliamentary Democracy (CPD), have asked Senator Akpabio to withdraw from the Senate Presidency race if he has no capacity to show but only rely on zoning and external endorsement, which offer nothing to the demand of the office of the Senate President, OsunDaily News reports.
