Senate Presidency: Akpabio Loses Out
- Statistics as of Sunday morning Godswill Akpabio/Jubrin Barau Camp- 17 Senators-elect
- Abdulazeez Yari/Osita Izunaso Camp – 77 Senators-elect
The aspiration of a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio for Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly might have finally hit the rocks as more senators depart his camp for the Senators Abdul’aziz Yari and Osita Izunaso-led Senate Democratic Caucus.
As of yesterday afternoon, Senator Akpabio was left with only 17 senators while the Yari/Izunaso-led camp swelled from 73 to 77 senators-elect between Thursday and Sunday morning.
From the statistics taken at the last outings of the two camps held simultaneously at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel and The Destination by Gidanka respectively, 21 Senators-elect attended the Stability group of Akpabio while 57 physically attended the Yari-led group meeting with concrete apologies from 16 other senators-elect who could not attend in person.
However, as of Sunday morning, at least four of the senators-elect that attended the Akpabio meeting have shifted camp and alliance to the SDC. The four senators are from South-South and South-West.
With this, the Yari/Izunaso-led group made up of senators-elect from the six geo-political zones of the country now has 77 senators-elect in their camp, a clear majority in the 109-member Senate.
Even with the 57 senators-elect that physically attended the meeting at Senator Izunaso-owned Destination Hotel office, the group has already secured more than the 55 votes required to produce the senate president.
In what is now seen as a calculated move by the powers behind the two camps to determine the strongest force in the emerging senate, the simultaneous meetings of the two camps have now confirmed the actual strength of the competing tendencies.
Senator Godswill Akpabio is obviously not in any way a match for Senator Abdul’aziz Yari or the other leading aspirant in his team, Senator Osita Izunaso.
The abysmal attendance of senators-elect at the Akpabio-led camp meeting inTranscorp Hilton was said to have embarrassed the highly respected former Governor of Ogun State, Akinrogun Osoba who was invited there as an observer.
Akinrogun Osoba left the meeting highly disappointed.
