Senator Ali Ndume revealed during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today that President Bola Tinubu had informed him about his preference for Senator Godswill Akpabio as the desired candidate for the President of the 10th Senate.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had previously allocated four key positions for the 10th National Assembly, assigning specific elected lawmakers to each role. The zoning arrangement included Senator Godswill Akpabio from Akwa Ibom as the designated Senate President for the South-South region, and Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano as the Deputy Senate President representing the North-West.
Additionally, the zoning arrangement outlined Abass Tajudeen from Kaduna as the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the North-West, and Hon. Ben Kalu from Abia as the Deputy Speaker representing the South-East.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, also mentioned that the President remains steadfast in his position regarding the leadership of the 10th Senate, indicating that there will be no change in stance.Despite acknowledging strong competition from the camp of former Zamfara State governor Abdulaziz Yari, Ndume disclosed that as of today, 75 out of 109 members have already expressed their support for Akpabio’s ambition.
“With 75 senators already in support of our candidate, we have the backing of the party, the president, and the majority of the senators,” affirmed Ndume. He expressed confidence in the Akpabio camp’s ability to secure victory in the election, while acknowledging that surprises can occur as people may change their minds at the last moment.
While not wanting to be overly confident, Ndume emphasized that their candidate possesses significant advantages compared to the competition, both politically and intellectually. He noted that the two front-runners are Yari and Akpabio, with their candidate having the upper hand in terms of support and capabilities.
