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The Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima has backed former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, for the position of the Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.
The former Governor of Borno State also endorsed Kano Senator, Barau Jibrin for the position of Deputy Senate President in the incoming Senate.
He declared his support for Akpabio and Jibrin on Wednesday during a visit by the aspirants and over 70 Senators-Elect, who are members of the Stability Group, to his campaign office in Abuja.
Shettima described the choice of Akpabio as the next Senate President as the best decision made by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the interest of a stable polity based on competence.
He said, “Politics shouldn’t be a means of disuniting our people. It should rather be a means of uniting us. The President-elect and the vice-president-elect are both Muslims. It is in the interest of the stability and unity of this country that the next position be given to the Christian faith, if not, it would further validate the alleged Islamisation agenda of the APC-led administration. It would be perceived as a gratuitous insult to our Christian brothers and sisters who stuck out their necks to support us.
”That was why I was quite pleased with the choice of the party leadership that my uncommon brother and leader in the person of Senator Godswill Akpabio should be the number three citizen of this country. The stability of this nation is much more important than whatever political considerations we may think of. We need to have a stable and united nation before we can talk about politics and positions. This is what our leader could do to unite this country in the current circumstances.”
Speaking further, Shettima said Akpabio has the exposure, competence and experience to occupy the office of the Senate President in the 10th Senate.
He added: ”Senator Akpabio has the exposure, competence and experience to occupy the office of the Senate President in the 10th Senate, ditto Senator Barau, his deputy. Apart from the need for religious balancing, competence and experience also came into play in our choices.
“Senator Abdulaziz Yari, is my brother and friend. We became governors together from 2011-2019 on the same political platform, but the nation is superior to other personal considerations. I am quite happy with what I see here today. It is a reflection of those who crave for the stability and unity of this country in a bipartisan manner.”
In his response, Akpabio congratulated Shettima on his election and described his choice as the incoming Vice President as the right step in the right direction.
The former minority leader also thanked the Vice President-elect for hosting the stability group in his campaign office.
He said, “We know very well that once somebody crosses the door into the Red Chambers, you are no longer a Senator of a political party but a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Stability Group members are going to work with the incoming administration to evaluate the policies and ensure the stability of the country.
“We are not here because the party zoned the position to the most ranked Senator from the South-South, Senator Godswll Akpabio. We came together to ensure national cohesion and the stability of the polity and to ensure that NIGERIA moves forward in the right direction.”
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