By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
A former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, non-serving senators from Second to Fourth Republics yesterday called on Senator Orji Kalu, ex-governor Abdul’Aziz Yari, and other aspirants for the position of Senate President in the 10th National Assembly to respect party supremacy and withdraw from the race.
They made the call at an enlarged meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) non-serving senators attended by critical stakeholders which also included Ambassador Godknows Igali, and Archbishop John Praise, among others, in Abuja.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC had zoned the position to the South-South and specifically endorsed Senator Godswill Akpabio as its candidate with Senator Barau Jibrin as deputy.
Kalu, Yari, Osita Izunaso, and others had objected to the action of the APC’s leadership and vowed to contest against Akpabio/Jibrin ticket on Inauguration Day.
Speaking at the occasion, the Convener, Senator Basheer Lado, called on the aspirants in opposition to the party’s choice against repeating the mistakes of the past.
He pleaded with them to withdraw their bids in the interest of peace, party cohesion, and the smooth take-off of Tinubu’s administration.
Osoba and Yakasai, among others, also called on the group to reach out to senators-elect who were kicking against the position of the party to respect APC’s constitution and support Akpabio and Jibrin.
The former Ogun State governor specifically urged the APC non-serving senators to lobby other aspirants to ensure that the zoning of the position stands.
He said, “I want to appeal to you on two issues. Let us all organise a serious lobby system by convening a meeting of all aspirants for the position of Senate President in the 10th Senate to make them see the reason why they should toe the line of the party.
“The Party has decided on zoning and has zoned the positions. We cannot afford to start this government on another crisis. The fuel subsidy removal crisis is already there.
“Let us go back to our states and lobby our senators-elect to support the choice of the party. With this, I believe we shall achieve our goal without any hitch.”
Former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, also called on all APC senators-elect to respect the supremacy of the party as enshrined in its constitution.
Ebute said, “The party is supreme. No member should oppose the constitution of the party and the position of its leadership. We should abide by the constitution of the party and the zoning of National Assembly leadership positions by the party.”
On his part, elder statesman, Yakasai said he had no doubts that Akpabio was qualified to hold the position of Senate President because of his pedigree.
Yakasai said, “The time of paucity of qualified Nigerians is over many years ago. This is the reason for my difficulties in the task of giving a talk at a gathering like this.
“What made my task somewhat easier is the fact that we know the personality we are all talking about.
“The person is no other than one of the few among the multitudes of people we know who is privileged to occupy three important positions many of our compatriots will wish to occupy any time such an opportunity presents itself to them.”
In his address, Lado, the Convener, said the enlarged meeting became imperative for the Forum to reaffirm its support for the party’s position.
He said, “We are equally convinced that there is a need now more than ever to support the party and strengthen its decision in this regard.
“We are convinced that a strong party capable of whipping its members into line stands a better chance to oversight its members in the executive and legislative branches of government and ensuring thereby that the party manifesto and governance philosophy are religiously observed and executed.”
*Akpabio campaign office says Tinubu hasn’t withdrawn support
Meanwhile, the Campaign Office of Akpabio has said President Bola Tinubu has not withdrawn his support from the former Akwa Ibom State governor.
The campaign office stated this in a statement made available to our Correspondent in Abuja.
There were news reports on Thursday that Tinubu and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress had withdrawn their support from Akpabio.
But Akpabio’s campaign office described the report as false.
Part of its statement read, “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered to dignify the sponsored false publication with a response since the purported withdrawal of support exists only in the minds of its purveyors and sponsors, but because of the negative effect it might create in the minds of our teeming supporters, it is therefore imperative that we offer this response.
“The purported withdrawal of support from Mr President is a big fat lie baked in the oven of those who are yet to come to terms with that the Akpabio/ Jibrin Barau ticket for the leadership of the 10th has come to stay and served on those who are scared of coming to terms with the reality on the ground, hence they resort to cheap blackmail, name-calling, outright lies and falsehood.
“The support and endorsement of Mr President and the party leadership for our candidate have not been withdrawn nor being contemplated as erroneously stated in the sponsored article.
“The sponsors and backers of the story throughout their wild goose chase laboured profusely to paint the party’s preferred senate leadership in bad light with no concrete evidence to prove their corruption allegation.
“Senator Akpabio has served this country in various capacities from when he was a commissioner, two-term governor, Senate Minority Leader, and most recently, as a member of the Federal Executive Council without any blemish except a tone of the allegation which has not yet been proven. Yet mischief makers carry around the spurious allegations simply because he is running for the office of the President of the 10th Senate.
“For the records, there is no iota of truth in the allegation of the break in the rank of over 70 senators-elect supporting Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Jibrin Barau-APC endorsed candidacy for Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
“The truth is that desperate opposition to the party’s position is jittery with their imminent failure with President Bola Tinubu as leader of APC and President.
“The rebels to the party’s position are also jittery that Tinubu being a man of his word, the decision of the party on zoning would remain unaltered with the massive support of senators-elect across all geo-political zones with South-West senators-elect as the arrowheads of Akpabio/Barau ticket.
“From our observations in the last few days, particularly after the successful inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the 16th president of the country, the heat is now on the rebels as discreet investigations for money laundering have commenced against some of them who think they can use money to buy some of the over 70 senators-elect supporting the Akpabio/Barau ticket.
“Finally, the Akpabio/ Barau ticket has continued to enjoy the support of Mr President, party leadership, the Governor’s Forum, party stakeholders across party lines, and over 70 senators-elect, who would cast their votes for the preferred candidates for the NASS Leadership.
“One million and one purveyors and sponsors of fake news, lies, and blackmail in the newspapers and online news platforms cannot alter the decision of the senators-elect, who are more than eager and willing to put the duo of Akpabio and Barau on the driving seats of the National Assembly come June 13, 2023.”
