From Magnus Eze, Enugu and Fred Itua, Abuja
The bids of Senators-elect Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau to lead the 10th Senate have received a major boost with their endorsement by the Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima and the Ntipe Ibibio Unity Mission.
Speaking with senators-elect, who are members of the Stability Group rooting for the emergence of Akpabio and Barau as Senate president and deputy, led by Senator Ali Ndume, at his campaign office in Abuja, Shettima stated that the choice of the former Akwa biome governor and Senate minority whip, as the number three citizen in the country was the best decision made by the party leadership and the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the interest of a stable polity based on competence.
“Politics shouldn’t be a means of disuniting our people. It should rather be a means of uniting us. The President-elect and the vice-president elect are both Muslims. It is in the interest of the stability and unity of this country that the next position be given to the christian faith, if not, it would further validate the alleged islamisation agenda of the APC-led administration. It would be perceived as a gratuitous insult on our christian brothers and sisters who stuck out their necks to support us.
“That was why I was quite pleased with the choice of the party leadership that my uncommon brother and leader in the person of Senator Godswill Akpabio should be the number three citizen of this country. The stability of this nation is much more important than whatever political considerations we may think of. We need to have a stabled and united nation before we can talk about politics and positions. This is what our leader could do to unite this country in the current circumstances.”
Shettima promised to get in touch with APC Senators-Elect, who are yet to come on board with the choices of the party.
Kinsmen of the former governor under the platform of Ntipe Ibibio Unity Mission, also applauded the All Progressives Congress (APC) for zoning the position to the South South.
Convener of the group, 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.
He 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.
The group called on chieftains and members of the APC including other contestants to support Akpabio.
“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.”
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.