Leading candidate for Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, Senator Barau Jibrin and his camp have met with the leadership of the opposition parties – Labour Party, LP, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
Akpabio in company of his running mate, Barau Jibrin, were involved in a closed meeting with the two opposing parties just 24 hours after meeting with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Akpabio, in a remark directed to the National Working Committee of the NNPP led by its acting national chairman, Abba-Kawu Ali, revealed that his team, is exploring every avenue to get the support of the oppostion parties to become the Senate President when the 10th National Assembly is inaugurated on June 13.
He said, “Membership of the Stability Group cuts across party lines, and we are doing extensive consultations. We have never had a situation where we had 8 political parties like we are going to have in the 10th National Assembly.”
The former minister also validated the claim that the President-elect had a meeting with the presidential candidate of the NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in France.
He said, “In the House, we are blind to party affiliations, and that’s why we are moving to meet our leaders. I thank you for receiving us. I want to thank your national leader, Kwankwaso, for the meeting he is having with our president elect, Bola Tinubu, and I hope the meeting will be fruitful for the progress of the nation.”
Speaking during the meeting, Senator Ali Ndume who is the former Senate leader and Director-General of the Akpabio Campaign Organisation, Ali Ndume, added that Akpabio has so far secured the signatures of 69 Senators elect.
He said, “We want you to support this stability group; we have 69; who have signed. It isn’t about Akpabio or Jibrin. What the country needs now is stability, and that’s why we called the group the Stability Group.”
The acting national chairman of the NNPP also maintained that the Akpabio- Jubrin group is a force to reckon with, thereby assuring NNPP members-elect would support the group.
He said, “I know you are a formidable team. As governor of Akwa Ibom State, we know how you performed. We know you are competent. So, we are supporting you based on your record. We will support your ambition to be the President of the Senate of the 10th National Assembly. But I urge your team not to fail Nigerians, especially the youth, in the area of employment.”
