Main PageSenate Presidency- Akume, Tinubu Meet In Lagos
One of the top contenders for the Senate
presidency, Senator George Akume, and the national
leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday met at the Lagos home
of Tinubu.
Our correspondent learnt that at the meeting which
took place around 3pm, Tinubu told Akume to
shelve his ambition and support Senator Ahmed
Lawan, who represents Yobe-North senatorial
district in the 8th Senate.
The battle for the Senate presidency was between
the North-East and the North-Central. Akume, who is
currently the Senate Minority Leader, represents
Benue-North senatorial district in the Senate.
Senator Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara-
Central senatorial district in the North-Central
geopolitical zone, had also openly expressed his
intention to contest the number three seat in the
country.
However, it was learnt that the leadership of the APC
finally decided to zone the Senate presidency to the
North-East following 'fresh developments'.
A reliable source in the APC told our correspondent
that Lawan had already been backed by the current
Senate President, David Mark, and other members
of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said, "Tinubu explained to Akume that Lawan and
Senator Mark are very close and already, some
members of the PDP support him. Lawan has a good
track record in the Senate and has been backed by
almost all the senators in the North-East who feel
the zone has been seriously marginalised.
"The catch there is that if the APC members in the
Senate do not support Lawan and he wins the
Senate presidency with bloc votes from the PDP and
his friends in the North-East, he will be loyal to the
PDP and may sideline us just as the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal,
attributed his victory to the APC back in 2011 even
though he was a member of the PDP.
"Mark will definitely do everything possible to
ensure that Akume does not emerge Senate
President if we pick Akume because they are not on
good terms. Tinubu told Akume that he sacrificed
his presidential ambition for the sake of the party.
"Tinubu, therefore, urged Akume to settle for the
Deputy Senate presidency or Senate Majority
Leader."
The 8th Senate will have 60 APC members while the
PDP will have 48. The number of senators in the
North-East is 18.
The source said Akume was also asked to step down
because the North-Central, where he hails from, had
been holding the Senate presidency since 2007 while
the North-East had never presided over the upper
chamber of the National Assembly since
independence.
He added that giving the North-East the seat would
also be a way of rewarding them for giving the APC
the second highest number of votes during the
presidential election.
He said, "The current Senate president is from
Benue State and has been in charge for eight years.
Would it be fair to also handover the Senate
presidency to another person from Benue?
"The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, got more
than 2.5 million votes from the North-East and this
should be rewarded."
It was learnt that Lawan, who just won a third term
in office, had already been accepted by those close
to the President-elect because he was among those
who led Buhari's presidential campaign in the then
All Nigeria Peoples Party in 2007 in Yobe State.
The source told our correspondent that a committee
comprising Tinubu's wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu;
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Gbenga Ashafa
and Senator Ajayi Boroffice had been set up to meet
with the aggrieved parties.
http://www.punchng.com/news/akume-tinubu-meet-
in-lagos-over-senate-presidency/
presidency, Senator George Akume, and the national
leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday met at the Lagos home
of Tinubu.
Our correspondent learnt that at the meeting which
took place around 3pm, Tinubu told Akume to
shelve his ambition and support Senator Ahmed
Lawan, who represents Yobe-North senatorial
district in the 8th Senate.
The battle for the Senate presidency was between
the North-East and the North-Central. Akume, who is
currently the Senate Minority Leader, represents
Benue-North senatorial district in the Senate.
Senator Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara-
Central senatorial district in the North-Central
geopolitical zone, had also openly expressed his
intention to contest the number three seat in the
country.
However, it was learnt that the leadership of the APC
finally decided to zone the Senate presidency to the
North-East following 'fresh developments'.
A reliable source in the APC told our correspondent
that Lawan had already been backed by the current
Senate President, David Mark, and other members
of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said, "Tinubu explained to Akume that Lawan and
Senator Mark are very close and already, some
members of the PDP support him. Lawan has a good
track record in the Senate and has been backed by
almost all the senators in the North-East who feel
the zone has been seriously marginalised.
"The catch there is that if the APC members in the
Senate do not support Lawan and he wins the
Senate presidency with bloc votes from the PDP and
his friends in the North-East, he will be loyal to the
PDP and may sideline us just as the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal,
attributed his victory to the APC back in 2011 even
though he was a member of the PDP.
"Mark will definitely do everything possible to
ensure that Akume does not emerge Senate
President if we pick Akume because they are not on
good terms. Tinubu told Akume that he sacrificed
his presidential ambition for the sake of the party.
"Tinubu, therefore, urged Akume to settle for the
Deputy Senate presidency or Senate Majority
Leader."
The 8th Senate will have 60 APC members while the
PDP will have 48. The number of senators in the
North-East is 18.
The source said Akume was also asked to step down
because the North-Central, where he hails from, had
been holding the Senate presidency since 2007 while
the North-East had never presided over the upper
chamber of the National Assembly since
independence.
He added that giving the North-East the seat would
also be a way of rewarding them for giving the APC
the second highest number of votes during the
presidential election.
He said, "The current Senate president is from
Benue State and has been in charge for eight years.
Would it be fair to also handover the Senate
presidency to another person from Benue?
"The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, got more
than 2.5 million votes from the North-East and this
should be rewarded."
It was learnt that Lawan, who just won a third term
in office, had already been accepted by those close
to the President-elect because he was among those
who led Buhari's presidential campaign in the then
All Nigeria Peoples Party in 2007 in Yobe State.
The source told our correspondent that a committee
comprising Tinubu's wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu;
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Gbenga Ashafa
and Senator Ajayi Boroffice had been set up to meet
with the aggrieved parties.
http://www.punchng.com/news/akume-tinubu-meet-
in-lagos-over-senate-presidency/
Thanks For You Reading The Post
We are very happy for you to come to our site. Our Website Domain name
http://gurusfanz.blogspot.com/.
Newer Posts
Newer Posts
Older Posts
Older Posts
Comments