Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed speculation that he was critically ill during his recent trip abroad, clarifying that he only took a short vacation in London.
Akpabio returned to Nigeria on Monday morning through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where he appeared in good health. He was welcomed at the Presidential Wing by senators, aides, and supporters.
“There’s nothing like such. I’m fit as a fiddle. I only stopped over in London for a short vacation,” he told journalists upon arrival.
The clarification follows social media reports claiming the Senate President had been hospitalised in London. Akpabio described the rumours as unfounded and the work of mischief-makers.
He explained that after participating in the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland, held from July 29 to 31, he proceeded to London for a brief rest after what he called a demanding legislative year.
Akpabio also assured Nigerians of more robust parliamentary activity when the National Assembly reconvenes. He highlighted the importance of Nigeria’s strong representation at the Geneva conference and pledged closer collaboration among the legislature, executive, and judiciary to strengthen democratic governance.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on Wednesday called on all Muslims vying for the Senate Presidency to step down for a Christian counterpart from Southern Nigeria.
Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Executive Director, MURIC, in a statement stated that as a major stakeholder in the affairs of Nigeria, they have followed with keen interest the imbroglio which greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket and how it ended in Nigeria having a Muslim President-elect and a Muslim Vice President-elect.
He added, “In view of this outcome and considering the multi-religious character of our dear country, Nigeria, it is our considered opinion that the post of senate president should go to a Southern Christian.”
According to him, Nigeria needs the cooperation of both Muslims and Christians, saying that only such collaboration can engender peace and development in the country.
He was of the opinion that Muslims should not take all the top posts despite being the majority group in the country, stressing that Muslims must be ready to share power with their Christian compatriots.
L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Senate President Aspirant, Sen. Goodswill Akpabio and Sen. Adeola Solomon during a courtesy call on the Governor at the Lagos House, Marina, on Sunday, May 14, 2023.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Sunday expressed support for the ambitions of Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Sen. Barau Jibrin as President and Deputy President of the 10th Senate, respectively.
Sanwo-Olu expressed his support at a consultative visit to Lagos House, Marina, when he received members of the “Stability Group’’, consisting 69 senators-elect, who already endorsed Akpabio and Jibrin.
He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination process to pave the way for election of senate leadership was in order.
He noted that Akpabio’s team possessed the political credentials and leadership qualities to bring about uncommon transformation in the country.
The governor said he aligned with APC’s zoning decision having read the legislative agenda initiated by the Akpabio-led group to raise the bar of law-making.
He stressed that it was instructive that the group was prepared to collaborate with the incoming administration of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.
He urged the senate leadership nominees to make purposeful legislations their priority, while maintaining harmonious working relationships with other arms of government without compromising legislative independence.
“Having discussed plans and agenda presented by `Stability Group’ led by Sen. Akpabio extensively, I believe it is appropriate that we, in Lagos State give them our official endorsement.
“This is a project for the stability of the country which will benefit Nigerians, especially the people who elected these distinguished lawmakers-elect.
“They are committed to working harmoniously with the Executive arm of government and this will bring about a win-win for all our citizens and for democracy.
“We are encouraging other lawmakers-elect who are yet to be on this group to fall in line.
“I also appeal to the `Stability Group’ to continue its consultation and collaboration and not to take anyone for granted,’’ Sanwo-Olu said.
He added that members of the group had assured him that they would make the senate leadership as inclusive as possible.
“The diversity they are preaching is reflected in the number of senators-elect in the group; it is not one party. The membership cuts across all parties that are represented in the National Assembly.
“I believe the incoming 10th National Assembly will be about great possibilities and shaping new course for the nation.
“Given the outstanding profile and experience Sen. Akpabio and his group are bringing to the table, I believe there will be new standards and new legislative records will break.
“I will only urge the incoming senate leadership to surpass whatever achievements recorded by the 9th Senate,’’ the governor added.
Akpabio, a former Senate minority leader representing Akwa Ibom Northwest, described Tinubu as “God’s own choice’’ for the country’s leadership.
He noted that the incoming Tinubu administration required the support of dynamic legislative leadership to work together to deliver promises made to Nigerians.
The former Akwa Ibom governor said he would deploy multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and national approaches to law-making, if he became senate president.
He said that the Senate under his leadership would have a complete control over its affairs without being confrontational with the Executive arm of government.
Akpabio said that he and his proposed deputy would work with the Tinubu administration to make the country better and make laws that would support development.
“The `Stability Group’ of the 10th Senate is made up of men and women of integrity. We came to present ourselves to the Lagos State governor and to solicit his support.
“He has thrown his support behind us; he has shown so much hospitality. Today, he endorsed my humble self as President of the 10th Senate and Sen. Jibrin as Deputy Senate President-designate.
“We are not taking this support for granted. This team has senators-elect from different political backgrounds and parties,’’ he said.
Akpabio added that the group was determined to ensure collaboration and support for the incoming administration of Sen. Tinubu whose presidency is a nationalistic project that will bring positive development to Nigeria.
“We want Sen. Tinubu to replicate what has happened in Lagos in the last 24 years of democracy to cover the rest of the country.
“Particularly, we are challenged by the economy; we want to see serious improvement in Internally-Generated Revenue of the nation to enable us to repay our loans.
“We want to see more foreign direct investments. We will support Tinubu through favourable legislations to ensure Nigeria remains investment-friendly and the business destination in Africa,’’ Akpabio stressed.
Kashim Shettima, vice-president-elect, has implored lawmakers-elect to accept the zoning arrangement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the 10th national assembly.
Shettima spoke during a meeting some of the house of representatives members-elect on Friday.
Earlier this week, controversy ensued within APC after the party nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and Abbas Tajudeen, a house of representatives member from Kaduna, for the national assembly leadership positions.
While Akpabio was nominated for president of the senate, Tajudeen was endorsed for the speaker of the house of representatives.
The party also nominated Barau Jibrin, senator representing Kano north, as deputy senate president, and Benjamin Kalu, a lawmaker from Abia and current house spokesperson, as deputy speaker.
The nominations have been faulted by lawmakers within and outside the party and several attempts to mitigate the rift have proven futile so far.
Speaking during the meeting with lawmakers-elect, Shettima said APC seeks to avoid a situation where all the top officials of the incoming administration would be of the same faith.
He said the circumstance could “validate the negative narrative of the Islamisation agenda of Nigeria”.
Shettima added that the leadership of the forthcoming national assembly must be inclusive because the “stability of the nation is much more important than any other consideration”.
“What we are trying to avoid is a situation whereby the number one citizen, number two citizen, the number three citizen, and the number four citizen are all of the same faith. That will lend credence, and validate the negative narrative of the Islamisation agenda of Nigeria,” the vice-president-elect said.
‘This is why my principal, a fair-minded leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is more inclined towards having the number three citizen from the South/south or the south-east. Even in the current circumstance that we find ourselves in, the stability of the nation is much more important than any other consideration.
“All other considerations have to be relegated to the background because we are talking about the stability of the nation.
“We are talking about inclusivity, we are talking about togetherness because nation-building is a continuous work in progress and politics is about perception, it is about optics. I am quite glad that Benjamin Kalu will emerge as the deputy speaker. The hope for the black man rests with the people of this country.”
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has dissociated itself from the endorsement of Sen. Godswill Akpabio for Senate Presidency by Coalition of Northern groups.
Alhaji Musa Saidu, a member of the ACF, said this in a statement on Sunday.
Saidu, also the leader of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria, said endorsing Akpabio for the Senate Presidency would spell doom for Northern Nigeria.
“We hereby dissociate ourselves from the endorsement of Sen. Godswill Akpabio for the Senate Presidency by a coalition of Northern groups.”
“The Coalition is not speaking for the North, it is just speaking for itself. No true Northern group will want to endorse Akpabio for a sensitive position like that of Senate President because he is not friendly with the North.
“We are the people who know Akpabio, because we are resident in the South, we know those who are friendly with the Northern people and Akpabio is actually not one of them, ” he said.
Saidu added that the coalition must have made the endorsement out of ignorance.
“I want to condemn the endorsement in its entity because it was done out of ignorance. It is also possible that the groups were given some inducement to endorse Akpabio. I want to say that the Northern people are not beggars that will be endorsing people who are not friendly with them because of inducement,” he said.
Saidu said that the ACF would continue to fight against injustice in the country.
“Why should the All Progressives Congress (APC) be bent on zoning the 10th Senate Presidency to the South, when we have competence hands in the the North.
“The North-West gave the APC the largest votes in the Feb. 25 presidential election, why not consider somebody from the zone.
“I think it’s time for the party to reward the zone for the massive votes rather than start looking for somebody from the South as Senate President,” he said.
A Coalition of Northern groups had endorsed Akpabio for the Senate Presidency saying he was best suited for the position.
The Senator-Elect, Sen. Abdulaziz Yari, says the contest for the position of the President of the 10th Senate will base on constitutional provisions and not instructions by anyone.
Yari, who is also the former Governor of Zamfara, said this on Friday while meeting with the executives of the Tinubu Shettima Network (TSN), headed by its National Chairman, Dr Kailani Muhammad, in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yari had declared his intention to contest for the position of President of the 10th Senate.
The senator-elect described the contest as senators’ business, backed by the constitution to chose leader within themselves.
“The senate presidency is senators’ business and on the ‘D- day’ when we are going to elect our president, we will do the needful.
“When we do that, we are not for anybody. We are doing what the constitution says that we should take our leader within ourselves.
“That is what the sections of the constitution stated very clearly. What is going to happen that day, it is going to happen based on the instructions of the constitution and not for anyone.
“So, we are going to exercise our constitutional rights there,” Yari said
He commended the TSN for supporting his cause to become the President of the 10th Senate, saying that the group’s work in area of mobilisation support for his cause was commendable.
According to him, this is a special session we have with the TSN leadership. If we can recall four weeks ago, I was in their office where I declared my intention to contest for senate presidency.
“I was there to seek their support and all the executives of the body gave their commitments that they were going to give me support for this contest.
“And today, we are to review what happened from then to where we are here today.
“From what we have been seeing and receiving from the media shows clearly that the work is on progress and very excellent. So, the organisation is doing very well,” Yari said.
In his remarks, Muhammad said that the purpose of the meeting was to brief Yari how far the group had gone in terms of mobilisation, adding that it achieved over 70 per cent of the work.
He expressed optimism that the senator-elect who participated in the sixth Senate would by the Grace of God emerge as President of the 10th Senate.
The Conference of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups has appealed to Sen. Barau Jibrin to work with Sen. Godswill Akpabio, in the contest for the senate presidency and be his deputy.
The groups said this in a statement signed by the National Chairman, Alhaji Gambo Jagindi, in Abuja.
“As it stands today, the APC will be in the majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, with 59 senators-elect and 178 Reps-elect from the official results declared so far by INEC.
”The role of the National Assembly in enabling true democracy to thrive cannot be overemphasised.
”And so we the critical stakeholders of the APC believe that the party should not leave anything to chance in ensuring that all of those who worked for its success in the just concluded general elections are carried along.
”This is to avoid a reoccurrence of the 2015 scenario where some elected National Assembly members on the platform of the APC, formed an unholy alliance with opposition parties and rocked the boat of the APC.
“The party must not, and never allow such unpleasant and retrogressive histories to be repeated,” he said.
Jagindi said, the APC, a party with progressive political ideology, having produced the President-elect would give all regions and religions a place in governance.
”We, therefore, believe that formidable candidates, who have all it takes to be the number three and five in the hierarchy of the country’s leadership, should be carefully nominated by those who wish the APC to succeed in this huge task of nation building.
”No doubt that the seat of the President of the Senate is a top position which wields a lot of influence, and one that holds the gavel to either make or mar the executive.
“This position must, therefore, be given only to a party member, who will ensure that the APC is seen as the true national party that it is, to ensure the growth and development of Nigeria.
”Therefore, looking at the achievements and antecedents of Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Sen. Barau Jubrin, two legislators that have contributed immensely to the development of democracy in the party and the Senate.
“It will be a great achievement if they are elected Senate President and Deputy Senate President,” he said.
He said the emergence of the duo for plum legislative positions in the 10th Senate would complement the experience and willingness of the incoming president and the vice president to deliver on good governance.
This, he said, would also help in building an enviable political party, with a strong structure, support and adequate compensation for loyal and hard working party members.
”It will place APC above oppositions in such a way that future elections will be won by the party even before the election day.
”As the date for the inauguration of the next government gets closer, it is incumbent on all party faithful to strategise and put the future and interests of the party above all other interest for the long time health and survival of the party,” he added.
Sen. Chris Adighije, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says his support for Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu.
as president of the 10th Senate is due to his requisite credentials to lead the Red Chamber.
Adighije said this on Tuesday while speaking with newsmen shortly after he paid a condolence visit to Kalu over the death of his wife, Mrs Ifeoma Kalu, in Abuja.
Kalu, who is the current Chief Whip in the ninth Senate, had declared interest to become the President of the 10th Senate.
The APC chieftain said: “I have thrown my support behind the former governor of Abia and Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, because he is also the oldest lawmaker in the National Assembly.
“Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu is the oldest National Assembly legislator having been elected to the House of Representatives in 1992. He has also the requisite credentials to lead the 10th Senate,” the former lawmaker said.
Adighije, who is also the Chairman, Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi, extolled the administrative acumen of the Chief Whip, stating that Kalu performed more than any other governor in Abia since 1999 till date.
He stated that among those aspiring for the position of the Senate President, Kalu had the national acceptability as he has a reach in the North, South West, South South and South East.
Adighije, who was in the 2nd assembly, called on the National Working Committee of the APC to zone the Senate Presidency to the South East.
According to him, the people of South-East region deserve it having produced two governors and six senators.
“It will be wrong and uncharitable for anybody to insinuate that the South East did not work or vote for the victory of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.
“As my political associate, l believe sincerely that Kalu has what it takes to lead the 10th Senate, as Senate President.
“Kalu, l would say is the longest serving National Assembly member and most experienced, having been in the House of Representatives in 1992.
“It is pertinent also to call on my party, the APC to cede the position of the Senate President to the South East,” Adighije said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Group, says it supports Sen. Osita Izunaso as President of the 10th Senate due to his patriotism, competence and political experience acquired in the National Assembly.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday and signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Malam Dawu Mohammed, and Secretary, Comrade Chisom Nwakanma, respectively.
Sen. Izunaso, who is a current Senator-Elect representing Imo West, had declared his interest to be the President of the 10th Senate.
The group described Sen. Izunaso as a senator-elect who had acquired quality education and legislative experiences in both the lower and upper Chambers of the National Assembly.
“Distinguished Sen. Izunaso is a lawmaker who has demonstrated the competence and patriotism in both chambers.
“He is a committed patriot, nationalist, a core party man, urbane, cosmopolitan in outlook and worldview, competent party administrator, journalist of repute and a lawyer,” it said.
The group urged the National Working Committee of the APC to zone the position of the President of the 10th Senate to South-East in the interest of fairness and equity.
According to the group, the most disadvantaged geopolitical zone in Nigeria since 1960 remained the South-East.
“The post-May 29, 2023 leadership of two out of the three arms of government presents a unique dilemma for the country.
“The President as the head of the Executive arm and government will be a Yoruba-Muslim and the Head of Judiciary will remain another Yoruba Muslim.”
The group called for a strong Igbo patriot who would also be a Christian.
“The South-South geopolitical zone has served as Vice President and President for a combined period of eight years since the return of civil rule in Nigeria in 1999.
“The North-West has produced President twice with late President Umaru Yar’adua and outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, ditto for North-East that produced a Vice President in person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from 1999-2007.”
The group stated that in terms of political representation in APC, South-South had benefited more than the South-East since its formation.
“Chief John Oyegun and Comrade Adams Oshiomole have been National Chairmen of APC while Sen. John Akpan Udoedehe from Akwa-Ibom served as National Secretary of the APC.
“At the moment, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege from Delta State is the Deputy Senate President.
“By the time the 10th NASS will open on June 10th, 2023, Sen. Izunaso will be the most ranking federal lawmaker and Senator from South-East.
“He was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2003 and later into the Senate in 2007.
“He was a founding member of the APC since 2013 and member of the merger committee of the then opposition parties that formed the APC,” he said.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Malam Muazu Dansarauniya, said the state deserved the seat of the Senate president in the 10th senate because of its contribution to the political growth of the party.
Dansarauniya told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Friday that the party is calling on the Red chambers to zone the position of Senate president to the North West geopolitical zone and Kano state in particular.
He described Sen. Baraatu Jibrin as a seasoned administrator with track records of experience who qualify to lead the 10 senate.
The justification and qualifications of the north west and Kano, in particular, to produce the next senate president is anchored on recognizing the region’s current political status and contributors of the highest votes in the just-concluded presidential election.
Sen. Jibril has been a quiet mobilizer, peace maker and result-oriented politician from a state and zone that APC must not joke with.
He is therefore not only eminently capable and qualified but also deserving of this consideration as a mark of reciprocity, reward in democratic framework.
“The people of Kano state and the North-west region are supporting aspirations of Sen. Jibrin because we believe in his capacity and capability to steer the wheel of the senate towards the path of growth and stability.
“The 10th National Assembly needs a leader like Jibrin who has garnered knowledge and experience from within and outside Nigeria, going by his academic records and qualifications,” he said.
