By Miftaudeen Raji
The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume said President Bola Tinubu sneaked out to beg some lawmakers to vote for the preferred candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the election of the presiding officers of the 10th Senate, which held earlier today. (Tuesday).
Ndume disclosed this while speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday.
Recall that the ruling party had fielded Senator Godswill Akpabio from Akwa Ibom and Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano state as its preferred candidates.
After a keenly-contested election, Akpabio polled 63 votes to defeat Abdulaziz Yari, senator representing Zamfara Central, who scored 46 votes.
But, Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano state was elected deputy senate president unopposed.
Speaking on the role Tinubu played in the emergence of the APC candidates, Ndume noted that the President stepped out of his way to beg some lawmakers to support the candidates of the party.
According to Ndume, President Tinubu believes Akpabio is well-qualified as Senate President, adding that, “today’s election will give Nigerians a sense of belonging.”
He said, “So many factors helped Akpabio’s victory; when I contested the last time, the President endorsed Ahmed Lawan. So it’s almost a repetition of the same thing.
“The party and the president had a preferred candidate, but we had foot soldiers to complement our efforts, and that’s made a difference.”
Source: Vanguard
