Senate Presidency:  Wike Says “It’s Pay Back Time For Akpabio”; Lawan Denies Interest

By Adesina Soyooye

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has weighed-in on who occupies the office of the Senate President in the 10th Assembly.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, which holds the majority number in the Senate has been engulfed in crisis over who becomes the number three man in the Country.

Both the Party and the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have endorsed the immediate past Minister of the Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, for the position. But at least, three other Senators-elect – Orji Kalu, Abdulazeez Yari, Osita Izunaso – are insisting on vying for the office.

A few days ago, Senators-elect from the South-east, met and insisted:  “It is the turn of the South-east to produce the Senate President for equity and fairness.” They vowed they would vote for any Senator from the Zone who steps out to contest.

On Tuesday, May 24,  the name of the incumbent Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, was thrown in. It was reported that he has decided to run fir same office along with Izunaso as Deputy. One of their sponsors, the report alleged, is Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma. Both Lawan and Uzodinma have dismissed the report as a lie from the pit of hell.

However, on same Tuesday, Wike, the man who holds the golden medal for working against his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party, in every which way, jumped into the fray. He threw his support behind Akpabio and revealed: “Akpabio stood by me to be Governor, now, it is pay back time for him.” He said he would work for Akpabio’s emergence as the Senate President, especially as Akpabio would work smoothly with President-elect, Tinubu to move Nigeria forward.

Governor Wike spoke when Akpabio and Senators-elect under the aegis of Stability Group, a group working for the  emergence of Akpabio, visited him. The Group was led by its Director General, Senator Ali Ndume.

In a statement issued  by Akpabio’s Campaign Media Office in Abuja, Wike was quoted to have said:

“This is the time for me to support him (Akpabio) because he supported me when I wanted to be the Governor of Rivers State.

“If, truly, we want this country to move forward from where we are today, I see nothing wrong in the ruling party picking who it thinks can work with the President-elect as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly.

“On this Akpabio and Barau project we are together to make sure they win.

“Akpabio supported me during my Governorship ambition. He stood by me all through and ensured that I won. I don’t pay back good with evil.

“This is payback time for him. I will stand by him until he emerges the next Senate President. Our team would soon meet to take a position on your aspiration.

“Don’t be worried or disturbed by the contending forces against your aspiration, it is normal in politics. Power is not given on a platter, you fight for it.

“I am impressed that despite your endorsement by your party and the President-elect, you are still consulting your colleagues. That is the way it should be.

“Let us be fair to this country. If we continue this way, Nigeria will not succeed. Don’t waiver, stay firm, and you will win at the end of the day”.

Not that he was ever going to make any impact, but Akpabio, for whatever it was worth, was one of the Presidential Aspirants in the APC, who stepped down for Tinubu during the Party’s Presidential Primaries.