Senate Presidency: Saraki, Akume, others split APC

The Punch News – The jostle by four senators to succeed Senate President, David Mark, on June 4, has shifted to the aspirants going after their colleagues in the six geo – political zones, seeking their endorsements.
The four senators who have so far made public, their decision to contest the race are, Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central); George Akume (Benue North); Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), and Ali Ndume (Borno South).

Our correspondent learnt that Saraki for instance, allegedly mobilised about 64 senators-elect drawn from both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, to the Niger Hall at Transcorp Hotel in Abuja on Wednesday night where the lawmakers were said to have endorsed him.
Likewise, the South-West caucus of the APC in the senate and the newly – elected senators rose from a meeting on Friday with a resolve to adopt Senator Ahmad Lawan, as their candidate for the Senate President position in the 8th National Assembly.
Our correspondent learnt that 12 out of the 13 newly elected senators met at a private residence in the Asokoro area of Abuja and adopted the ranking senator from the North-East geo – political zone, as their preferred person for the job.
Their counterparts in the North-West and North-East had also met separately during the week and adopted Lawan, despite a news conference addressed by about 12 senators — elect from the North-East, penultimate Friday in Abuja, which disowned him as the consensus candidate of the geo — political zone.
The lawmakers, led by Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) had, at the news conference, said they were still pleading with the leadership of the party to zone the position to their region but that they had not picked anyone as the consensus candidate.
But one of the senators that addressed journalists on the occasion, Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe East) issued a statement on Thursday, saying that lawmakers from Yobe State in the National Assembly have endorsed Lawan as senate president.
Ibrahim claimed that he made the endorsement on behalf of the people and government of Yobe state.
Bukar who is a former governor of Yobe State, described Lawan as an energetic and hardworking legislator who possess progressive values.
He therefore called on North Eastern government and National Assembly caucuses, as well as other geo-political zones to support Lawan`s candidature.
On his part, a non-governmental organisation, the League of Patriotic and Progressive Youth, has vowed to engage in aggressive campaign for Akume by appealing to the conscience of senators-elect to cast their votes for the former governor of Benue State.
The group in a statement by its North central coordinator, Mr. Dominic Alancha, on Friday, said only Akume could sustain the electoral success recorded in the North Central by the APC with his magnanimous disposition.



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