Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state has expressed confidence in the victory of the chosen candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Godswill Akpabio as the next President of the Senate.
The governor, who is also the chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, said this while speaking to State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said a committee set up by the President to resolve the leadership dispute has made significant progress in collaboration with the outgoing Senate President Mr Ahmed Lawan.
The governor, who chairs the committee, assured that Senator Ahmed Lawan would work for the emergence of the APC preferred candidate.
“After the event in which you all witnessed, we had a closed session with President because what is at stake is national interest, the interest of our country and how to ensure that the new president is supported to succeed.
“All over Africa, Nigeria is being looked upon that this time around we should produce a very strong president who will be bold and courageous in character. Who will be able to deliver Nigeria to our usual space of being the leader of the continent.
“So, we don’t want to allow for any domestic distraction to distract him from succeeding. We are going to pledge our support, work in synergy with our senators-elect to ensure that the election of tomorrow will be free and fair.
“You must have heard, the president in his wisdom organised a small technical committee to help coordinate the process of tomorrow’s election, which by my position as the chair of the Progressive Governors Forum, I am chairing that technical committee.
“We have done so much work to the extent that God has blessed our efforts that majority of the senators-elect are now in sync with the position of the party.
“Akpabio is going there to create a win-win situation for members of the parliament. He he is not going there to be a dictator. He is going there to work with his colleagues. He is going there to work in synergy, collectively they will reason, collectively they will plan, collectively they will deliver the dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people. It is about Nigeria and not about the individuals. And he is a man too that has the track record of performance,” he said.
Also speaking, Senator Godswill Akpabio assured of a united 10th Senate under his leadership.
He said if he emerges as the Senate President, all senators would be given their pride of place and a level playing ground without looking at party differences.
He said the business of the Senate would be about Nigeria and how to move the nation forward.
“We will think Nigeria first, every senator irrespective of political party must come into the chambers as a senator of the federal republic of Nigeria.
“So, we have a lot to do. We must assist the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to put the right policies in place by we putting the right legislations in place to make sure that business thrives and create employment opportunities for Nigerians.
“I assure you that every senator is important and there’s no political party once I’m inside there, everybody is important and all political party shall be carried along,” he said.
Asked how he intends to pacify those who are not on the same page with him, he said: “In the business of politics not everybody will be on the same page. But here, we have over 90 percent of the people supporting the choice of the party and I believe that even those that are not on board, I assure them that I will carry them on board.”
