Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has pleaded with the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to take a second look at the concern raised by some members of the National Assembly who lost in the just concluded primary elections.
According to Akpabio, some APC members in the Senate and House of Representatives who failed to secure their party’s nomination have developed “hypertention” over the issue, urging the party to take to consider those with genuine cases.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom state made the remark on Wednesday during the inauguration of APC National Campaign Council for the forthcoming Ekiti state governorship election.
The magazine reports that no fewer than 50 NASS members have failed APC nomination, and will no likely participate in the 2027 election under the APC banner.
Some lawmakers who lost during the primary elections, and are now at logger head with the party include the current Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere , representing Owan Federal Constituency, Senator Representing delta North in the Senate, Ned Nwoko among others.
Akpabio, however, stated that situation could have been different if the losers did their home work thoroughly before going into the primaries, saying it’s not the fault of the APC that they lost.
The APC has yet to release the final list of its candidates for next year’s election, even as some analysts insist that the party will likely tinker with the outcome of the primaries, with a view to slot in their proffered candidates ahead the election.
Akpabio stressed that the party to carry should carry the leadership of the National Assembly along before the final list is released.
The part should “Ensure that they are carrying all the National Assembly members along,“ Akapbio said, blaming state governors as reason why some of his colleagues failed to secure their return ticket to NASS, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also has the right to influence the selection of lawmakers coming into the Assembly next year.
“ And for the governors, yes, they say the assembly is going to be working with you. You have the absolute right to choose anybody you want.
“Then for the president of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR he also has the right to give him imputs. But when anybody has lost the election on the ground, please don’t expect me, as chairman of the National Assembly, to come and plead with you to put the person. It simply means the person has lost,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has notified political parties in the country that the commission will open, on June 26, the official portal for them to upload the list of their candidates for next year’s election.
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