Parliament

Senate Presidency: Ensure you’re not late on election day, APC chair tells Akpabio

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, has warned a top contender for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, to ensure he did not turn up late on the day of the election for the leadership of the upper chamber.

Adamu, who stated this in an apparent reference to what transpired during the election of the principal officers of the 8th Senate, said: “But let me warn, don’t be late, because once bitten twice shy.”

A former governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, was elected the president of the 8th Senate on June 9, 2015.

Saraki, who was a member of the APC at the time, defeated the ruling party’s preferred candidate, Ahmad Lawan, to emerge as the Senate president.

He was elected unanimously by 57 senators present at the session.

The remaining 51 senators were at the International Conference Centre in Abuja waiting for a meeting called by the leadership of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, Adamu, while speaking with newsmen after a meeting with Akpabio and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja on Tuesday, May 16, added that the party was still consulting on issues concerning the leadership of the in-coming assembly to carry everyone along.

He said the consultations have been fruitful, adding that the final decision, however, would be on the floor of the Senate.

“Whatever we do, whatsoever signature we collect, the final decision will be on the floor of the Senate and also the house,” the APC chairman said.

On the ongoing agitations, especially from those opposed to the party’s zoning decision, Adamu stated that people were bound to hold other opinions, adding that the party has no right to stop them.

“All these efforts and agitations are very healthy and important.

“I am happy that we are heeding the advice and directives we gave to make consultations, and it is good that it is going on and I am happy that it has been very fruitful.

“We will wait till June 3, on the floor of the house. I want us to have a rancour-free election on the floor, because even if everybody says it is Akpabio, the rules of the game say there must be election.

“Those who are in the Senate are aware of the rules. I do hope and pray that we will carry the day and be victorious,” he added.

APC had, on May 8, zoned the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly to the South-South geopolitical zone in favour of Akpabio.

The party also zoned the Deputy Senate President to North-West in favour of Barau Jibrin from Kano State and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to North-West in favour of Abass Tajudeen from Kaduna State, while the Deputy Speaker was zoned to the South-East in favour of Ben Kalu from Abia State.

The Star