Former minister of Niger Delta Affairs and now senator-elect Godswill Akpabio has informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to become the president of the 10th Senate.
Akpabio disclosed this after meeting with the president at the President Villa, Abuja, on Sunday.
According to him, as Senate president, he would work closely with the incoming Bola Tinubu presidency to empower Nigerians, particularly the youth.
The senator-elect, who said besides visiting to inform the president of his intent to lead the next Senate, he also used the visit to express his appreciation to him for giving him the opportunity to serve as a minister in his administration.
When asked what his programme for Nigerians would be if he emerges president of the Senate, Akpabio said, "A lot of reforms, Akpabio is known as an uncommon transformer. Akpabio is known as a man who is results-oriented. You will recall that when I was a governor, I brought a lot of innovations to bear, infrastructurally, educationally, socially and otherwise and also in terms of human empowerment.
"I intend to bring a lot of reforms into the Senate, in the ways and manners we do business, to assist the next administration to succeed. We will be very thorough in doing everything; we'll bring about loyalty to the Constitution, we'll bring about loyalty to Nigerians.
"We will tackle issues through legislation to empower Nigerians and particularly the youth. The restiveness that we are seeing across the nation, we'll do our best to make good laws and to assist the administration to bring about policies that will empower the youths of the country.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"I made that promise even on the convention day that being a man who used to turn boys into men and who still does, that I will like to work with the in-coming president, who has also shown that example in Lagos State as a governor and thereafter as a leader of the APC in Nigeria. He has continued to turn boys into men and as the president of the country, after his swearing-in, I expect that he will continue to do so.
"So, the youths are in for a very good time, in terms of empowerment, there will be no time for slacking and we'll restrict a lot of them from being lured into criminality, into brigandage and all that. We'll get them working and I believe that with the help of the Almighty that both the National Assembly and the Executive will do a lot for the youths of this country", he said.
Asked how his consultations with other lawmakers and the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were going, he said, "Yes, we have been doing that, we've done a lot of consultations and they've been very positive and well received. It's almost like a woman who is already eight months pregnant, just a month to deliver."
