10th Assembly: Akpabio, Yari Lock Horns For Senate President’s Seat

There was rowdiness at the upper chamber of the National Assembly when the battle for the leadership of the 10th Senate kicked off on Tuesday.

Sani Tambuwal, Clerk of the National Assembly, commenced the proceeding for the election of the presiding officers of the senate.

Senator-elect Godswill Akpabio, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from Akwa Ibom North West and Senator-elect Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara North West, who is also of the APC, are the two contenders for the office of the number three citizen.

Senator-elect Ali Ndume from Borno South, nominated Akpabio while Senator-elect Elisha Abbo from Adamawa North nominated Yari.

No sooner than he nominated Yari than some lawmakers started protesting but Abbo stood his ground while shouting on top of his voice.

He challenged those opposed to Yari’s nomination to go to court.

Akpabio is the anointed candidate of President Bola Tinubu and leadership of the APC, while Yari refused entreaties to step down.

The election, which is in form of open secret ballot, is underway.

Both Yari and Akpabio are former governors. While Akpabio governed Akwa Ibom between 2007 and 2015, Yari was governor of Zamfara between 2011 and 2019.

Meanwhile, at the House of Representatives the roll call of the members-elect by states is currently ongoing.

Once the clerk concludes proceedings at the senate, where elections of president and deputy senate president would hold, she would head for the lower chamber of the national assembly.