Former Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State met with President Bola Tinubu on Monday, sparking speculation about their intentions.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that it is believed that the meeting was aimed at securing the position of Senate President for Godswill Akpabio, the former Minister of Niger Delta, who is currently the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The meeting took place behind closed doors, and no details were disclosed about the discussions.
However, insiders suggest that the meeting was primarily focused on ensuring Akpabio’s candidacy, given the recent opposition within the APC.
This meeting unsurprisingly involved Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has shown support for Tinubu and the APC since the last general elections.
The political landscape in the National Assembly is driven by a game of numbers, with the APC holding a majority in the Senate, while the opposition parties control a larger number of seats in the House of Representatives.
This newspaper learnt that due to internal opposition within the APC, concerns have arisen that the opposition parties may join forces with opposing APC candidates to elect principal officers who align with the minority caucus.
Some opposition APC candidates have suggested electing an opposition member as Deputy Senate President or Deputy Speaker as a means of garnering commitments from the opposition parties.
In response to the backlash against Akpabio’s preferred candidacy, Tinubu, who initially endorsed him, is reportedly reconsidering his support.
It should be noted that the APC has already announced Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas, a lawmaker from Kaduna State, as its candidates for Senate President and Speaker, respectively.
However, sources indicate that Tinubu may not openly withdraw his endorsement for these candidates but could allow all contenders for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House to participate in the election on Tuesday, June 13, when the upper house convenes to select its principal officers.
Wike and Umahi’s involvement in the meeting with Tinubu is believed to be an effort to ensure the success of Akpabio’s bid for the Senate presidency.
Sources claim that Akpabio enlisted the two former governors to assure Tinubu of their commitment to securing his election.
As part of their strategy, Wike and Umahi intend to engage with senators-elect from various political parties to gather support ahead of the decisive vote.
