In a significant political development, Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, has emerged as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly.
Akpabio, who was the preferred candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), formed a partnership with Jibrin Barau, the senator representing Kano South.
The election for the new Senate President began earlier than scheduled, with Akpabio and Abdulazeez Yari, the senator-elect and former Governor of Zamfara State, competing head-to-head. However, after a brief recess, Sani Tambuwal, the Clerk of the National Assembly, declared Akpabio as the Senate President, securing 63 votes, while Yari received 46 votes.
The process commenced before the announced time of 10 a.m. Following a call for nominations by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, the senator-elect for Borno South, nominated Godswill Akpabio as the President of the Senate, representing Akwa Ibom North-East. Akpabio accepted the nomination. On the other hand, Elisha Abbo, the senator-elect for Adamawa North, nominated Abdulaziz Yari, who represents Zamfara West.
However, there was discontent among the senators regarding Yari's eligibility for the position, as he was a first-time senator. This issue led to protests from the lawmakers.
The voting took place in alphabetical order, and two representatives from each camp were assigned to count the votes. Senators Adeola Solomon and Ndume represented Senator Akpabio, while Abbo and Jimoh Ibrahim, the senator-elect for Ondo South Senatorial District, represented Senator Yari.
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