Akpabio elected, sworn in as Senate president

The former Akwa Ibom governor was returned elected as President of the 10th Senate after securing 63 votes defeating Senator Abdul’aziz Yari who scored 46 votes.

Earlier, voting commenced at the Red Chamber in Abuja, Nigeria.

Voting begun at exactly 08:45 am on Tuesday on a state-by-state basis, alphabetically.

Voting ended at exactly 09:15 am.

Nominations were received for Senator Abdul’aziz Yari and Senator Godswill Akpabio after which the Clerk of the Senate declared nominations closed in the absence of further nominations.

The contest was between Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, and Akpabio, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and ex-governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Akpabio succeeded Ahmad Lawan as Senate President.

Akpabio and Yari are top-ranking chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The former Zamfara governor had before now protested the endorsement of the former minister by the party and asked that the endorsement be reviewed but the APC did not shift ground. The party also anointed Barau Jibrin from the North-West for the office of the Deputy Senate President.

Scores of APC Senators in Yari’s camp had also rejected the party’s position and called for a review of the formula, arguing that the North-West gave the President the highest vote and therefore deserves to be compensated.

Some APC members had entreated Yari to drop his ambition to make it a smooth sail for Akpabio but the former governor vowed to fight to the finish.

In the just-concluded elections, the ruling APC secured about 70 seats in the Red Chamber, the highest by any party followed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Many APC lawmakers had indicated interest to emerge as the next Senate President but some of the aspirants stepped down for either Akpabio or Yari.