"The Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the South-south and no other person than the former governor of Akwa Ibom , the uncommon governor, the uncommon minister who will be the uncommon president of the Senate."
The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has announced that governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have resolved to zone the next Senate President to the South-south geopolitical region of the country.
The governors under the umbrella of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) had earlier recommended that the Senate President should be zoned to either South-east or South-south regions.
They also proposed that the position of majority leader, deputy majority leader and chief whip should be used as compensation for those that may be asked to step down from running from the four presiding officers position.
But, in a video circulating on the internet by African Independent Television (AIT), Mr Ganduje affirmed that the APC governors have decided to support former governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, who is from the South-south.
The video showed that Mr Ganduje and some of his governor colleagues including Ben Ayade of Cross River State were in a meeting with some individuals.
Mr Ganduje assured that nothing will change the plan of the zoning formula the governors had proposed for the party.
"The Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the South-south and no other person than the former governor of Akwa Ibom , the uncommon governor, , the uncommon minister who will be the uncommon president of the senate," he said.
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"We have resolved that, so we are giving you assurance. We are waiting for the deal day to be the Senate President of Nigeria."
Responding, Mr Ayade expressed appreciation to the APC governors for zoning the senate president to his geopolitical region.
He congratulated Mr Akpabio as the next senate president.
"I want to also thank you so much for actually zoning the president of the Senate to South-south and to our brother from our neighbouring state who is also part of Cross River State. We celebrate him and thank you for giving us this opportunity."
Mr Akpabio and Osita Izunaso who is from Imo State are the candidates jostling for the ticket of the senate president from South-south geopolitical zone.
Messers Akpabio and Izunaso have previously spent one term of four years in the senate. They have also visited president Muhammadu Buhari to allegedly persuade the president to facilitate the zoning to their region.
