Some aggrieved senators have concluded plans to challenge the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as Senate President of the 10th National Assembly in court.
The lawmakers have decided to approach the courts to challenge Akpabio’s victory on the grounds that the ballot papers used in the election were serially barcoded.
Some senators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are also considering dumping the party.
Speaking to Leadership, a senator disclosed that 22 Senators have perfected plans to defect to other political parties, thereby giving the opposition the majority in the Senate.
In the event such plans materialise, the opposition would have 72 Senators, while the APC would be left with 37 Senators.
Two senators from the North East who shared similar stances about the election said the election was manipulated against the candidature of Senator Abdulaziz Yari.
One of the senators said, “Even though the election has been held and Akpabio emerged, there are still questions surrounding his victory. The ballot papers were tampered with and compromised. The ballot papers were serially barcoded such that the idea of secret balloting never existed. Some senators were forced to vote against their will. These actions were not only undemocratic but unconstitutional and embarrassing.
“Many senators who voted for Akpabio did so under compulsion and threat. They never wanted him to be president. We are interested in telling the world how barcodes were used to rig the election.
“Why should an electoral process be tampered with? Until it is determined there would be too many other questions to answer in the 10th senate. This is the first time ballot papers will have barcodes. Akpabio won’t last as Senate President.”
According to a senator from North West, “An election that was supposed to be secret balloting was manipulated and compromised.
“We believe that the right thing must be done to avoid international embarrassment. What happened on June 13 was against the Senate rule. You can’t have a Senate president that came on board illegally. We will challenge the process and make sure that the electoral processes are not tampered with in the future.”
