Intense Battle for Senate Presidency: Akpabio, Yari Clash Over Lawmakers’ Support

In the highly anticipated race for the Senate Presidency, two former governors, Godswill Akpabio and Abdulaziz Yari, find themselves locked in a fierce competition as they vie for the support of lawmakers in their respective camps. With the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly slated for June 13, 2023, the senators-elect will play a crucial role in electing a new Senate President to guide the Senate’s affairs over the next four years.

Sources within Yari’s camp claim that approximately 65 senators have pledged their allegiance, bolstering their position following the last-minute departure of lawmakers from the opposition. However, the Akpabio/Barau Campaign Organization, led by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has been actively appealing to senators-elect to throw their support behind Akpabio’s bid.

However, Akpabio’s Senate Presidency aspirations face resistance due to allegations that he displayed disrespect towards the legislature during his tenure as the Minister of Niger Delta. His open accusations against National Assembly members, suggesting their involvement in questionable contracts with the NDDC, have led some senators-elect to have second thoughts about endorsing him. Senator Suleiman Kawu, representing the New Nigeria People’s Party in Kano South, revealed that the Northern caucus, led by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, is firmly backing Senator Yari for the position.

Furthermore, an anonymous senator-elect confessed to withdrawing support from Akpabio’s camp due to a past disagreement with the lawmakers. Citing Akpabio’s previous criticism of the institution as a “cesspit of corruption,” the senator-elect questioned how he could preside over an institution he had once denounced, despite benefiting from it.

Meanwhile, the Akpabio camp has been diligently mobilizing senators-elect from the three major parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party. In a published newspaper article, the group listed the names of 71 senators who are purportedly aligned with their cause. Notably, 25 pro-Akpabio governors, including those from Kwara, Nasarawa, Benue, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Ekiti, Osun, Kogi, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Kaduna, Borno, Ebonyi, and Ondo States, have thrown their weight behind Akpabio’s candidacy. These governors, predominantly from APC-controlled states, firmly uphold the unanimous decision of the party’s National Working Committee, emphasizing the importance of institutional stability and peaceful legislative proceedings during the 10th Assembly’s tenure.

During a visit by Akpabio to Kogi State, Governor Yahaya Bello described the aspirations of Senators Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau for the positions of Senate President and Deputy as his personal project. Bello, who regards Akpabio as a role model due to his exceptional governance as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, expressed his commitment to ensuring stability for President Bola Tinubu’s presidency.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State also voiced his support for Senator Akpabio, stating that senators-elect and stakeholders in the state are united in backing his candidacy. Stressing the importance of upholding the party’s decision regarding zoning, Oyebanji highlighted the collective commitment of Ekiti’s senators, former governors, and party leaders to Akpabio’s bid.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State confirmed that APC governors from the North are resolved to support the choice of National Assembly presiding officers made by President Bola

Tinubu’s choice of National Assembly presiding officers.

Sule told the aspirants: “We cannot in any way fight the choice of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We cannot in any way fight the choice of our party.”

Governor Babajide Sanwo in Lagos State said he hoped the 10th Assembly would be about, “Shaping new course, breaking records” to surpass and improve on the antecedents of the 9th Assembly.

He described the group of senators-elect across party divides as “a well-thought-out group.”

Also, a source close to APC Governors pointed out that they are looking forward to a most peaceful, stable, result-oriented and highly productive Senate in the 10th Assembly.

He stressed that based on the demands of governance in Nigeria at the moment, both the Executive and the Legislature must have a cordial and stimulating working relationship.

The source maintained that rapid development and economic stability are only foreseeable in an atmosphere of shared vision and cordiality between the Tinubu administration and the leadership of the 10th

National Assembly and other critical stakeholders of the political process.

The source said they detest the despicable situation that reared its ugly head between 2015 and 2019 where the Saraki-led Senate was constantly at loggerheads with the Buhari-led Federal Executive Council.

He added that the messy imbroglio contributed to the situation where salient policy proposals which emanated from the executive were either delayed or thrown overboard on the platter of sheer politics of acrimony, bitterness and high-handedness.