A former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, has been elected as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly just as the lawmaker representing Zaria Federal Constituency, Tajudeen Abbas, also emerged as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Akpabio and Abbas are the preferred candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The voting in the election of a new Senate President commenced with Akpabio and former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator-elect Abdulazeez Yari, going toe to toe.
After a quick recess, Sani Tambuwal, the Clerk of the National Assembly, declared Akpabio as the Senate President having garnered 63 votes leaving his rival with 46 votes.
After the Clerk of the National Assembly called for nominations, the senator-elect for Borno South, Ali Ndume, nominated Godswill Akpabio, senator-elect for Akwa Ibom North-East, as President of the Senate. Akpabio accepted the nomination; while Elisha Abbo, senator-elect for Adamawa North, nominated Abdulaziz Yari, senator-elect for Zamfara West.
The senators protested that Yari was not allowed to stand for the position as a first-time senator.
After the lawmakers cast their votes in alphabetical order, two representatives of each team came to count their votes.
Senators Adeola Solomon and Ali Ndume came out to represent Senator Akpabio, while Abbo and the senator-elect representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim, represented Senator Yari.
In the race for the Speakership, Rt, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, who was elected in an “openly declare” ballot system was elected by 189 members of the House on Tuesday.
He defeated fellow contenders – Ahmed Wase and Sani Jaji, who polled three votes each.
