Opposition is mounting against the choice of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the next Senate President as the current occupier of the post, Ahmed Lawan, is at the vanguard of the movement against the emergence of the former Akwa Ibom State Governor as the next holder of the gavel at the Red Chamber.
The President-elect Bola Tinubu is said to have accepted to endorse Akpabio as the next Senate President as he is the most-ranking Senator from the South-South where the position is about to be ceded.
Tinubu met with the National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Wednesday in Abuja on the thorny issue of the composition of the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Those at the meeting were Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima; National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Deputy National Chairman, North, Senator Abubakar Kyari; Deputy National Chairman, South, Emma Eneukwu; and National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
There were also Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan; Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Yusuf Zailani.
Although there was no comment from the attendees of the meeting on the issue of the National Assembly leadership, our correspondent reliably learnt that the issue is almost sorted out and the position of the party would be known in the coming days.
A source said Lawan and key leaders in the Senate were opposed to the choice of Akpabio as the President of the upper Chamber.
Iwitnesslive learnt that some ranking members recalled how Akpabio bamboozled his way into becoming the Minority Leader of the chamber in 2015b even when he was just a first timer and they were also yet to forgive the former Governor about how he accused the Senate of demanding for bribe before they could approve the budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Our source said; “Akpabio is not popular among the ranking members of the Senate because of how he treated them when he returned to the executive arm of government as a minister. They have agreed that the post of the Senate President should come to the South but they prefer Orju Uzor Kalu for the position instead of Akpabio. Kalu and Lawan enjoy a very cordial relationship and it is believed that he would be a better Senate president than Akpabio.
“The movement is becoming strong, even when the President-elect asked Lawan for his opinion on Akpabio, he flatly rejected the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. The APC wants to conclude the consultation before it would announce the zones that will get the principal officers slots in the next National Assembly.”
