President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finalized plans to link Senator Godswill Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, with Senator Jibrin Barau as Senate...
Daily Trust has learned exclusively that President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finalized plans to partner former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, with Senator Jibrin Barau as Senate president and deputy, respectively.
Akpabio and Barau are two of nine candidates for the Senate presidency of the tenth assembly, which is scheduled to begin on June 13.
According to credible sources, the president-elect, who returned to the country on Monday after 34 days abroad, informed Akpabio and Barau of his decision during a meeting held in Abuja.
On Tuesday, the former governor of Lagos State met with Akpabio, Barau, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti), and the governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji.
In the interest of national cohesion, fairness, and religious balance, Barau was reportedly requested to withdraw his candidacy for Senate president during a meeting arranged at the president-elect's behest, according to sources.
A lawmaker from the South stated that Barau was convinced to sacrifice his ambitions for the sake of national peace and tranquility.
"He was advised to abandon his desire for a Christian to become the next Senate president.
"The president-elect told Barau that he is exceptionally qualified for the position, but that he must abandon his desire to become a Christian in order for his administration to begin on a solid footing.
"He asserted that since he (Tinubu) and Senator Kashim Shettima (the vice president-elect) are both Muslims, it is appropriate to support a Christian.
"It was only after the pleadings that the president-elect told Barau that he wanted him to serve alongside Akpabio as vice president of the Senate," the senator said, imploring anonymity.
A member of the All Progressives Congress's (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed to this publication that the president-elect has contacted Akpabio and Barau regarding his decision to couple them for the Senate presidency.
"I was not present when the meeting was conducted, but two attendees have informed me of Asiwaju's decision. It is true that he has chosen Akpabio and Barau for Senate president and vice president," he said.
Tinubu's predilection for Akpabio was revealed to our correspondent by a northern ally of Tinubu. Yesterday, attempts to contact him regarding the nomination of the former Akwa Ibom governor by his associate were unsuccessful.
Yesterday, when contacted, Akpabio replied, "I don't know." However, Barau was inaccessible last night.
Daily Trust reports that aside from Akpabio and Barau, seven other senators have indicated interest in the Senate presidency including Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North); Sen Abdul-Aziz Yari (APC, Zamfara West); Sen Sani Musa (Niger East); Sen Ali Ndume (Borno South), Sen Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North).
Sen Kalu, Sen Ndume, and Sen Musa could not be reached by phone, so attempts to obtain their opinions were unsuccessful. Last night, a report alleging that Tinubu backed Kalu for Senate president went viral on social media.
Asiwaju will convey the NWC's decision on Akpabio, Barau, and other candidates.
It was reported that the president-elect would shortly meet with other candidates for the Senate presidency to inform them formally of his decision regarding Akpabio and Barau. In furtherance of the consultation, Tinubu would then confer with all senators-elect who are members of the APC.
At a Wednesday meeting attended by the president-elect, the vice president-elect, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, and the APC leadership led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, it was decided that Tinubu would spearhead the efforts to identify and select the National Assembly's leadership.
According to Daily Trust, the APC has 59 senators, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 36, the Labour Party (LP) has eight, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has two, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has two, and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) each have one seat.
Akpabio and Barau need a simple majority of ballots to secure the two positions when the parliament is inaugurated in June, following the president's transmission of a proclamation letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly.
North cannot play second fiddle – previous governor
However, an influential former governor criticized the president-elect's choice of Akpabio for religious balance.
In an interview, the former governor stated, "Yes, sacrifices are necessary, but the North should not be relegated to second place in order to appease those who have contributed almost nothing to the table.
"If there is such a thing as sacrifice, it should be universal; all zones should be required to make the same sacrifices," he said.
"After sacrificing the presidency to advance national unity and peace, they now wish to regard us as second-class citizens. We cannot accept this. We made the initial sacrifice. Allow other regions to follow suit. "The North gave Tinubu the party nomination and the winning votes, so now it is the other zones' turn to make sacrifices," the former governor stated.
When he was informed that the president-elect had consulted Senator Barau, he asked, "Who advised Senator Barau to take it?" First, he is a lawmaker from Kano State who resides in the north. He is the candidate for the north and cannot make a decision on his own. It is beyond his comprehension.
"We gave up the number one spot, and now they want us to give up this; it will not happen. Yes, Asiwaju is a major stakeholder, but many people, particularly in the North, sacrificed their lives for him to win the presidency."
Ongoing consultations for speaker and deputy
In the meantime, consultations for the positions of speaker and vice-speaker in the House of Representatives have yet to be concluded.
Ten lawmakers-elect have shown interest in the speaker's position, including the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase (Plateau); Mukhtar Betara (Borno); Abubakar Makki Yelleman (Jigawa); Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau); Sada Soli Jibia (Katsina); Abdulraheem Olawuyi (Kwara); Abbas Tajudeen (Kaduna), Aminu Sani Jaji (Zamfara), Benjamin Kalu (Abia), and Mariam Odinaka Onuoha (Imo).
APC holds 175 of the 360 seats in the House, while PDP holds 118, Labour Party 35, NNPP 19, APGA five, SDP two, and ADC two. YPP has one seat, with three vacancies pending.
Due to the composition of the Green Chamber, it was gathered that a definitive decision regarding the positions of speaker and deputy speaker has not been made.
Meets with APC governors and proposes collaboration on NASS leadership.
Tinubu met with the APC governors who paid him a courtesy visit yesterday and urged them to collaborate with the party leadership and legislators on the election of National Assembly principal officers.
The incoming president stated, "We salute God Almighty for our election victory. It was challenging and turbulent. The difficulty we face is coordinating with the party leadership and the National Assembly regarding the election of their chief officers. And I command you to labor in accordance with the party's beliefs and spirit," he said.
Tinubu stated to the party's governors and former candidates for governorship, "whether you return or not, this is our administration. Once we know what we are doing and communicate as elected leaders and party loyalists, we will be able to overcome the obstacle."
As leaders, they had been elected to serve the people and humanity with impartiality and justice, he emphasized again.
Emotionally, he thanked God for granting him, "the first Muslim minority from the South-West, Allah's blessing to be elected president."
Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, chairman of the Progressive Governors and governor of Kebbi State, led his colleagues to Tinubu's residence.
Among those in attendance were Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima and Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Hope Uzodinnma (Imo), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Ben Ayade (CrossRivers), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).
Kelechi Igwe, the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, and Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, the APC governorship candidate in Kano State, were also present.
Governor Bagudu stated that Tinubu's victory was the reason for his visit.
He added, however, that the governors are prepared for any assignment the incoming president may designate them.