Umahi And Ndume Drops Their Senate President Bid, Endorses Akpabio

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi and Senator Ali Ndume have dropped his senate president bid and endorsed Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs.

Umahi, who will be a first-time senator when the 10th Senate is inaugurated in June, said the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, invited him and pleaded with him to drop his ambition.

The governor said he agreed with Tinubu’s pleas to endorse Akpabio as the next senate president, noting that he was also not considering the post of deputy senate president.

Speaking with reporters after a meeting with Akpabio on Friday night, Umahi said “My brother came to consult with me.

“Yesterday, I saw the president-elect on his invitation and he told me that he is already committed, and that please ‘don’t run’ and I accepted and stepped down for my brother, senator Akpabio.

“He is my consensus candidate. I also step down for him as the deputy senate president.”

Umahi also said that he is not considering the position of the deputy senate president, noting that he has stepped down from the two positions.

“He is my consensus candidate. I also stepped down for him as the deputy senate president, so I stepped down for two of them,” he said.

The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume also said Akpabio is the preferred choice of the “president”, but he did not state who he was referring to between President Muhammadu Buhari and the president-elect.

“As you can see, I am leading the campaign for Akpabio because he is the president’s preferred candidate and we have to put the interest of the country, the party, above any other interest,” Ndume said.

Responding, Akpabio said: “I have always said In Sha Allah , the will of God will be done in Nigeria.”

With the pulling out of Umah and Ndume from the race, the remaining contenders, apart from Akpabio include Jibrin Barau (Kano), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Osita Izunaso (Imo) and Sani Musa (Niger).

The leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to announce their decision on the zoning of the 10th National Assembly leadership.

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has said the 10th Senate would be in a competent hand under the leadership of Orji Kalu as Senate President.