May 06, (THEWILL) – The Governor of Ebonyi State and Senator-elect, David Umahi, along with two other Senators, have dropped their bid for the Presidency of the 10th Senate and endorsed Godswill Akpabio, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
Umahi and former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume as well as Chairman of Senate Appropriation Committee, Senator Jubrin Barau, have earlier indicated interest to struggle the contest for the Presidency of the Senate, with Akpabio and other aspirants including former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, after a closed-door meeting with re-elected Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Ebonyi State Governor’s Lodge at Asokoro, in Abuja, Umahi said he met with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President-elect, who told him not to run.
“My brother (Akpabio) came to consult with me. Yesterday, I saw the President-elect on his invitation and he told me that he is already committed, and that ‘please don’t run’ and I accepted and stepped down for my brother, Senator Akpabio. He is my consensus candidate,” he said.
Also speaking, Ndume said Akpabio is the President’s preferred choice, but he did not state who he was referring to between President Muhammadu Buhari and the President-elect.
“As you can see, I am leading the campaign for Akpabio because he is the President’s preferred candidate and we have to put the interest of the country, the party, above any other interest.
“We have all deferred to our brother to fly the flag of the APC as Senate President of the 10th National Assembly. We know he has the capacity to lead the Red Chamber of the federal legislature,” he said.
They also told reporters that the meeting resolved to present Barau as Deputy Senate President.
THEWILL earlier reported that the outgoing Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday, said Akpabio would be the next senate president.
Ganduje, who spoke in Calabar, Cross River State capital, at a meeting with Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River and Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, had said the APC resolved that the next senate president must come from the South-South, adding that Akpabio is the party’s consensus candidate.
THEWILL also noted that Orji Kalu, current Chief Whip of the Senate, is a strong contender in the race for the 10th Senate Presidency.
