Senator Akpabio shortly after he was elected Senate President in Abuja this morning
Former Minister of the Niger Delta, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio has been elected the president of the 10th Nigerian Senate. Akpabio garnered highest number of votes out of the 109 votes cast. During the voting process, Akpabio was visibly tensed and appeared to be saying some silent prayers.
Akpabio, a former two-term Akwa Ibom State governor, defeated Senator Abdulaziz Yari to emerge the 10th Senate President of Nigeria.
The clerk of the National Assembly announced the result after first round of peaceful voting by all elected Senators on Tuesday morning who were called from different states in an alphabetical manner.
Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio CON, is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as minister for Niger Delta Affairs from 2019 to 2022. He resigned on 11 May 2022 on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to contest in the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Meanwhile Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, had yesterday expressed confidence that Senator Godswill Akpabio will emerge as the next president of the 10th Senate. He made this known while speaking with pressmen after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the committee set up by President Tinubu to resolve the controversy over the forthcoming leadership race has achieved substantial progress. Uzodinma, who is also the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, said the move was in collaboration with the outgoing Senate President, Ahmed Lawan.
He also assured that Lawan would work for the emergence of the preferred candidates of the party. A new set of leadership of the National Assembly will emerge tomorrow. This is as the race for the Senate presidency has been tied among the trio of Akpabio, Abdulaziz Yari and Orji Kalu.
