Ahead of June 13, inauguration of the National Assembly, kinsmen of former Senate Minority Whip, Godswill Akpabio, under the platform of Ntipe Ibibio Unity Mission, have thrown weight behind his bid to become senate president.
The group also applauded the All Progressives Congress (APC) for zoning the position to the South South.
Convener of Ntipe Ibibio Unity Mission, Okon Mkpafit, said Akpabio remains the best choice for the senate presidency among senators-elect from Southern Nigeria and South-South geopolitical zone in particular.
Mkpafit revealed that kinsmen of the former Akwa Ibom State Governor have been working to ensure that he clinches the position of President of the Senate of the 10th National Assembly.
They called on chieftains and members of the APC including other contestants to support Akpabio.
He said: “We the kinsmen of Senator Godswill Akpabio under Ntipe Ibibio Unity Mission, unequivocally declare our unalloyed support of APC zoning of the Senate President to South-South geo-political Zone, and throw our weight behind Senator Godswill Akpabio as the Senate President of the 5th Republic.
“APC zoning of Senate President position to South-South geopolitical zone, we can recall that the last time the Senate President position came from South-South was in 1979, which was the Second Republic, which saw the emergence of the Distinguished Senator Joseph Wayas.
“We plead with all the senators-elect to join hands to ensure South-South Senate Presidency is actualized, hence support Senator Godswill Akpabio for the position of Senate President.”
He added that Akpabio when he was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, there was massive transformation and his legacy on infrastructural and human capacity development are still visibly seen in the State.
Mkpafi, however, warned that any scheming and pressure on the party to throw out Akpabio will be counterproductive.
“We have heard and seen how some persons are piling pressure on the APC leadership to drop Senator Akpabio, and we warn that if that happens it will affect the party negatively and that would be counterproductive, and therefore we counsel that the choice of the party be upheld.
“We also call all Nigerians to join hands with the in-coming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to build our great nation and make it the ‘Giant of Africa’ indeed,” he added.