Akpabio, Egwu, Wammako, 62 Others Back Saraki for Senate President, Says Melaye
Senator Bukola Saraki has secured the support of 65 ofhis colleagues to be President of the Senate, according to one of them, Dino Melaye.
However, the President-elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari has denied backing any aspirant for the office.
Melaye, the Senator-elect for Kogi West, told journalists on Wednesday that support for Saraki is from both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He added that Saraki’s endorsement was arrived at during a meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, convened by a group called ‘Like-minded Senators’, spearheaded by him.
Melaye, who chaired the meeting, expressed confidence in Saraki, citing the vast experience of the former Kwara State Governor and his expertise to lead the upper legislative chamber.
He named those who attended the meeting to comprise both old and new members, including Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto State. The others are Sabo Nakudu, Mohammed Gobil, Ali Ndume, Danjuma Goje, Binta Garba, Andy Ubah, Sam Egwu and Shehu Sani.
His words: “The meeting was a mixture of PDP and APC Senators: 40 APC and 25 PDP Senators in attendance. We resolved that we have to produce a senator that is made by Senators and by no matter everything, Saraki has the capacity and capability to stabilise and hold the Senate together.”
Melaye added: “Our resolve is that no matter any circumstance, we are committed to making Saraki the next Senate President. Eighty per cent of Senators from Ahmed Lawal’s North-East zone attended the meeting and endorsed Saraki.”
Meanwhile, General Buhari has said that he is willing to work with anybody who emerges as leader of the Senate and the House of Representatives, irrespective of the part of the country he or she hails from.
The President-elect, in a statement Wednesday in Abuja, described as false, insinuations in the media that he was in support of any particular Senator’s emergence as Leader or that he belonged to any camp pushing for the emergence of a leader from a particular part of the country.
According to him, “I am prepared to work with any leader that the House or Senate selects”.
General Buhari added: “It doesn’t matter who the person is or where he or she is from.”
He said that these insinuations were probably born out of people’s expectations based on the way things had happened in the past, but reminded Nigerians that CHANGE had truly come.
According to him: “There is due process for the selection of leaders of the National Assembly. And I will not interfere in that process.”
General Buhari advised that the media and the public should begin to get used to no more “business as usual.”
He added, “Nigeria has, indeed, entered a new dispensation. My administration does not intend to repeat the same.”
Among the leading contestants for the President of the senate are; former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume and Saraki, both of the CAN which will form majority party at the next Senate.
The President-elect, in a statement Wednesday in Abuja, described as false, insinuations in the media that he was in support of any particular Senator’s emergence as Leader or that he belonged to any camp pushing for the emergence of a leader from a particular part of the country.
According to him, “I am prepared to work with any leader that the House or Senate selects”.
General Buhari added: “It doesn’t matter who the person is or where he or she is from.”
He said that these insinuations were probably born out of people’s expectations based on the way things had happened in the past, but reminded Nigerians that CHANGE had truly come.
According to him: “There is due process for the selection of leaders of the National Assembly. And I will not interfere in that process.”
General Buhari advised that the media and the public should begin to get used to no more “business as usual.”
He added, “Nigeria has, indeed, entered a new dispensation. My administration does not intend to repeat the same.”
Among the leading contestants for the President of the senate are; former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume and Saraki, both of the CAN which will form majority party at the next Senate.
