Politics

Akpabio: Why I want to be Senate President

The immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, says he would be “an uncommon transformer” if he emerges as the President of the 10th Senate.

Akpabio said he would bring a lot of reforms into the Senate, to assist the next administration to succeed, promising to bring loyalty to the Constitution and Nigerians.

He promised to work closely with President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to empower Nigerians, particularly the youths, if made the Senate President.

The former two-term governor of Akwa Ibom State said this while speaking with journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, May 1.

The Senator-elect, who said besides visiting to inform Buhari of his ambition to lead the next Senate, stated that he also used the visit to express his appreciation to him for giving him the opportunity to serve as a minister in his administration, adding that he presented his Certificate of Returns to the President.

When asked what his programme for Nigerians would be if he emerges Senate President Akpabio said: “A lot of reforms, Akpabio is known as an uncommon transformer. Akpabio is known as a man who is results-oriented. You will recall that when I was a governor, I brought a lot of innovations to bear, infrastructurally, educationally, socially and otherwise and also in terms of human empowerment.

“I intend to bring a lot of reforms into the Senate, in the ways and manners we do business, to assist the next administration to succeed. We will be very thorough in doing everything; we’ll bring about loyalty to the Constitution, we’ll bring about loyalty to Nigerians.

“We will tackle issues through legislations to empower Nigerians and particularly the youth. The restiveness that we are seeing across the nation, we’ll do our best to make good laws and to assist the administration to bring about policies that will empower the youths of the country.

“I made that promise even on the convention day that being a man who used to turn boys into men and who still does, that I will like to work with the incoming president, who has also shown that example in Lagos State as a governor and thereafter as a leader of the APC in Nigeria. He has continued to turn boys into men and as the President of the Country, after his swearing-in, I expect that he continue to do so.

“So the youths are in for a very good time, in terms of empowerment, there will be no time for slacking and we’ll restrict a lot of them from being lured into criminality, into brigandage and all that. So we’ll get them working and I believe that with the help of the Almighty that both the National Assembly and the Executive will do a lot for the youths of this country,” the former Senate Minority Leader stated.

Asked how his consultations with other lawmakers and the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were going, Akpabio said: “Yes, we have been doing that, we’ve done a lot of consultations and they’ve been very positive and well received. It’s almost like a woman who is already eight months pregnant, just a month to deliver.”

The Star