The ambition of the former Kwara state governor, Bukola Saraki ,to emerge as the successor to the incumbent Senate president, David Mark, received a major boost recently.
Saraki’s ambition seemed to have been expressly endorsed by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators-elect as they attended a meeting organised by some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators who are in support of Saraki’s emergence as Nigeria’s 3rd citizen.
According to The Punch the meeting which was held at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja had 65 senators-elect present.
A source who was at the meeting named the Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio, the Abia state chief executive, Theodore Orji, and former governor of Ebonyi state, Sam Egwu, as some of the PDP senators who were present.
The source said, “For now, the PDP has not endorsed any candidate but some of us are in support of Saraki because the APC leaders appear to be supporting Lawan.”
He listed some of the senators at the meeting which according to him included Sabo Nakudu, Mohammed Gobil, Ali Ndume, Danjuma Goje, Binta Garba, Ubah, Shehu Sani and Aliyu Wamakko.
He said, “The meeting was a mixture of PDP and APC senators. Forty APC and 25 PDP senators were in attendance. We resolved that we have to produce a senator that is made by senators. Eighty per cent of senators from Lawan’s North-East attended the meeting and endorsed Saraki.”
Other leading contenders for the Senate presidency are Senator Ahmed Lawan from Gombe state and and Senator George Akume from Benue state. Officially, the incoming ruling party, the APC, are yet to award the position to any zone.
