As the day for the inauguration of the10th Assembly approaches, the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Adamu has warned the party’s endorsed aspirants for the National Assembly leadership positions to be mindful of an upset.
Adamu gave the warning when the former Akwa-Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas, a member from Kaduna State led a delegation of 41 senators to the national secretariat in Abuja.
Earlier, Truth Live News had reported that the party endorsed Akpabio and Abbas as its favoured candidate for the positions of the president of the Senate and the House of Representatives Speaker.
Adamu said the warning became necessary so as to prevent what happened in 2015 from reoccurring again.
In 2015, Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara disregarded the party’s directive by arriving early to contest the leadership positions and they emerged as the Senate President and the House of Representative Speaker respectively.
He urged them to arrive early for the inauguration on June 13.
Meanwhile, the delegation briefed the party on the progress of their consultation with other aggrieved aspirants, stakeholders and senators in the upper chamber.
The meeting with the NWC is coming one week after the APC micro-zoned the position of Senate president to the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and the deputy Senate seat to Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation.
Similarly, four aggrieved Senate presidency aspirants, threatened to revolt by disobeying the party position if the zoning formula was not reviewed.
However, addressing Akpabio and his delegation of 41 senators, the APC national chairman expressed satisfaction over the level of progress their two anointed candidates for the Senate leadership has made ahead of the 10th Assembly inauguration.
His words: “We did clearly mention in the announcement that we need further and better consultation. We need to deepen consultations to carry many others along. From all you (Akpabio) just said, there is ample evidence that there has been consultation and we will not relent to ensure that, if it were possible, all senators-elect agree. Whatever we do, whatsoever signature we collect, the final decision will be on the floor of the Senate and also the House.
“All these efforts are very good and important but we are in a democracy and people are bound to have opinions and we have no right to stop them. I’m happy that we are heeding the advice and directives we gave to make consultations. I’m happy that it is very fruitful. We shall wait till June 13 on the floor of the House. I want us to have a rancour-free election. Because even if everybody says it is Akpabio or Y or X, the rules of the game say there must be an election.
“Those who are in the Senate are aware of the rules. On the day of the proclamation the president and the clerk make the proclamation. So I do hope and pray that we will carry the day and be victorious. But let me warn you again, don’t be late. I hope I am communicating.”
Akpabio while expressing joy concerning the development revealed that 70 senators-elect were supporting him.