Akpabio is Merely APC’s Chosen Candidate – Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume had said the nomination of Godswill Akpabio by the All Progressives Congress National Working Committee does not guarantee his election as the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.

Ndume said this, Tuesday while speaking on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’. According to him, Akpabio is merely the party’s chosen candidate; this does not automatically make him the leader of the House. He added that the senators would still need to cast a vote to choose the leader of the red house.

The lawmaker was reacting to the party’s declaration of Akpabio’s nomination as the leader of the 10th Assembly.

Earlier, Empire had reported a zoning template for the position of major officials of the 10th National Assembly adopted by the National Working Committee NWC of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC which placed Akpabio as the preferred candidate.

Akpabio was nominated for Senate President, the party nominated Abbas Tajudeen as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Speaking further, Ndume said, “I don’t think anointed is the right word to use. The APC has Akpabio as its preferred candidate, that would be a better word,” he said.

“Not anointed but preferred candidate. Because if it is anointed then it is fait accompli, which is not the case. We have to go into the chamber and vote, and it can go anywhere.

“Akpabio is going to be first among the equals as president of the senate. It is going to take the remaining 108 of us to restore integrity to the Senate.”