Sen. Godswill Akpabio, who is vying for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly, has assured lawmakers that the upper chamber would be unique under him if elected.
He spoke at the end of a meeting with the APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja on Tuesday, May 16. He said said it was fair to zone the Senate Presidency to the South-South, stressing that the region last produced a Senate President in 1979, about 44 years ago.
The former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, who led 42 other senators under the aegis of Integrity Group to the meeting, as reported by The Star, added that since the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, is from the South and the Vice President-elect, Sen. Kashim Shettima, is from the North, it is only right that the Senate President emerge from the South.
Apart from assuring that the 10th Senate under him would be unique, he added that the Integrity Group would visit chairmen of other political parties that made up the in-coming Senate for their imput and advice.
Akpabio, while noting that the integrity team was poised to bring change, said the APC leadership should appeal to other party members to support its zoning decision.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State said: “When I was young, I was told about the three Gs one should fear. One is God, then the Gun and the Government.
“Both the Bible and the Quran charge us to respect leadership because that is the only way to progress. We urge you to talk to them because that is the only way to progress.
“We have interacted with the governors of Lagos, Katsina, and even Rivers, to tell them about our plans and policies.
“We intend to bring stability, as well as to make you proud by putting an end to poverty, insecurity and unemployment, through legislations of supervision and strict oversight,” Akpabio stated.
He stated that the visit was to show solidarity and appreciation for the endorsement after wide consultations with stakeholders across the country, adding that now that the elections were over, it was time to begin governance.
“We are grateful that the party’s leadership gave this opportunity to Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the uncommon senator and his brother, Sen. Barau Jibrin, we will definitely bring growth to this country,” Akpabio said.
Adamu, in his response, said the party was still consulting on issues concerning the leadership of the in-coming assembly to carry everyone along.
He said the consultations had 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.
The All Progressives Congress (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 South-East in favour of Ben Kalu from Abia State.