10th Senate: Akpabio In Forefront With Support Of 75 Senators-Elect —Ekpenyong
As senators-elect for the 10th Assembly prepare to elect their leaders on Tuesday, the senator-elect representing Akwa Ibom North-West and the nominee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the position of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, clearly holds the ace and would likely emerge the Senate President.
Akpabio, who enjoys the support of 75 senators-elect, including those in the opposition political parties, has been largely described as the most experienced, most credible with his election helping to bring about stability in the leadership of the three arms of government.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News Channels’ ‘Prime Time,’ over the weekend, senator-elect from Cross River South, Asuquo Ekpenyong, pointed out that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) settled for Akpabio for Senate President and Senator Jibrin Barau as deputy President of the Senate after rounds of consultations with many stakeholders.
According to Ekpenyong, stakeholders sat and narrowed in on what they thought would be in the best interest of Nigerians adding that the choice of Akpabio and Senator Barau is best suited, not just because of their track records and religious balancing but because of their capacities over time.
Ekpenyong appealed to his colleagues that a vote for Akpabio would among other things bring stability to the country for the renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“The word stability comes to mind when you vote for Akpabio. The framers of the constitution of Nigeria modelled the legislature against that of the United States bicameral legislature where you have the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“In the House of Representatives, you look at proportional representation where you have the number of seats depending on the population of the state. In the Senate, there is equality and each state has equal senators.
“There are three senators per state. It is important to balance this country because the framers of our constitution looked at Nigeria as an amalgamation of different tribes and different ethnic groups and it is important for each state to have a sense of belonging,” he stated.
