Politics

Senate President Race: Akpabio, Kalu Draw Battle Line

Published

3 years ago

April 29, 2023

The battle for the number three citizen, the Senate Presidency of the 10th Senate now appears to be between the Southeast and the Southsouth geopolitical zones.

Over the past couple of days, the call for the Senate President to be a Christian from either the Southeast or Southsouth has gained significant momentum.

This latest development has increased the chances of Sen Orji Uzor Kalu and Sen Godswill Akpabio, who are from the Southeast and Southsouth zones, respectively.

In this this article, DAILY POST looks at the chances of the two aspirants and the intrigue within the ruling party.

The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu are expected to decide on the zoning of the offices. There have been countless meetings at the residence of the president-elect on the zoning of the offices.

It was learnt that the deliberations have been divided between those calling for the inclusion of the Southeast and those calling for reward based on the outcome of the presidential election.

Those opposed to Kalu argued that his inability to deliver votes for Tinubu during the presidential election should count against him.

Kalu polled 30,805 votes to win the Abia North-senatorial district election; however, Tinubu only managed to poll 8,914 votes in the entire Abia State.

Akpabio on the other hand delivered 132,683 votes, a tally that is more than the 115,401 votes he garnered in his senatorial district election.

Some loyalists also pointed to the primary election where Kalu backed Senate President Ahmad Lawan for the APC ticket, while Akpabio was the first presidential aspirant to step down and endorsed Tinubu during the primary election in June 2022.

These are the two main talking points that have shaped the conversation on the choice of the Senate President.

It would be recalled that the APC Governors recently sent a memo to the president-elect on the appropriate zoning of the offices. The governors stated that contribution to the presidential election must be a major factor in zoning.

In the memo, governors faulted the voting pattern of the southeast, noting that the region exhibited “exclusionary electoral conduct”.

“The South-east contributed the least to Asiwaju’s victory, consistently exhibited the most exclusionary electoral conduct since the advent of the Fourth Republic, and yet also feels entitled to the Senate Presidency,” it reads.

The APC governors went further to state there is a need to signal to the South-east in order to ensure “adequate deterrence for exclusionary electoral conduct.”

Many believe that the language of the Governors shows that they are leaning toward the South-south zone.

If the South-east loses out in the race for the Senate President, there is a possibility that the region will equally lose out on the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President due to zoning.

However, it was learnt that other voices are pushing for the Senate President to be zoned to the South without micro-zoning and that the Speaker should be zoned to the North without micro-zoning to any region.

Head to head

Both Akpabio and Kalu have corruption allegations they are carrying. The former is facing an investigation concerning over N108 billion alleged misappropriation during his time in office.

Also, as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, he has been linked to the alleged corruption that happened in the Niger Delta Development Commission. It would be recalled that Akpabio was accused of corruption by the former Managing Director of NDDC, Joi Nunieh.

Akpabio subsequently appeared before the House during the N81 billion probe of the NDDC by the House Committee on Niger Delta. The probe produced the infamous “Off your mic” moment.

Meanwhile, Kalu was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on 5 December 2019. The judgement was subsequently voided by the Supreme Court in May 2020 and ordered a retrial.

After the pronouncement, Kalu was subsequently released from prison and he returned to the Senate.

If the race is thrown open, both aspirants will have to rely on their connections in their previous party, the PDP for support.

In the last 72 hours, the two have recently met with the president-elect separately. But they must show the capacity to reach out to senators outside their party. The minority parties in the Senate have a combined strength of 50 lawmakers.

The recent visit of Atiku Abubakar to the House of Kalu has already set tongues wagging within the APC. Although Atiku was there to visit the former Abia Governor on the death of his wife, the timing of the visit is raising eyebrows.

The PDP is divided between Atiku and G5 camps; however, going by the outcome of the 2023 election, the G5 lost several seats in the Senate race. PDP lost ground in Abia, Enugu, Oyo and Benue.

On the other hand, PDP has significantly increased its strength in the North— Kaduna, Kebbi, Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau States now have a significant number of senators. Support from Atiku could change the dynamic of the race in favour of Kalu.

With Aminu Tambuwal in the Senate, the PDP senators-elect will play a significant role in deciding where the pendulum swings with their 36 seats in the House.

Akpabio’s supremacy battle with PDP in Akwa-Ibom State could count against him, as the outgoing governor may be wary of empowering his rival.

However, the opportunity to have the Senate Presidency may override the local squabble.

The race is no doubt expected to be tough between the two Senators.

DAILY POST

Politics

Reps Raise The Alarm Over Terrorists’ Threat To Bomb N’Assembly Complex

Published

22 hours ago

October 28, 2025

Editor

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, on Tuesday disclosed that the National Assembly has received threats from terrorists to bomb the complex and called for urgent fortification of the edifice as a proactive measure.

Garba disclosed this in Abuja at a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish the Legislative Security Directorate, which seeks to enhance security management, protect the lawmakers, staff members and visitors to the nation’s parliament.

The edifice housing the Senate, the House of Representatives and sundry offices, he said, has been facing security challenges, including cases of car and motorcycle theft, vandalism, fake identity cards, and infiltration by unregistered visitors.

Recall that on May 4, 2021, a similar incident was rumoured when security alert warned lawmakers of a planned Boko Haram attack on the National Assembly complex and other VIP/government locations in Abuja. In response, security measures were intensified, including strict vehicle checks that caused significant congestion at the gates.

Lawmakers were advised to use the less-congested presidential gate for safer access. The alert underscored concerns over Boko Haram’s growing threat, with insurgents reportedly operating as close as Niger State, near the Federal Capital Territory.

Following the alert, the National Assembly limited members’ presence on the premises for safety, and security experts called for stronger federal protection of national infrastructure and assets.

Garba said, “We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly Complex and threats from protesters to lock up the National Assembly.

“Legislators are exposed to threats from constituents and others who gain easy access to their offices without any formal appointment.

“It is obvious that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures are not taken, it will truncate the legislative activities in the National Assembly. If activities are thwarted, there will be no representation, no oversight, no annual budget, no plenary at all — and that will destabilise legislative procedure, democracy, and the stability of the system, and our nation at large.

The Kano lawmaker noted that robust security management requires a holistic and coordinated approach, integrating multi-layered approaches to secure the National Assembly environment to enable lawmakers to discharge their duties in an atmosphere of peace.

“That is why this bill is important. It seeks to address all the challenges as aforesaid and adopt the world’s best practices of parliamentary security procedures and architecture.

“The need for effective security measures in the National Assembly cannot be overemphasised because parliament has to remain accessible to the public. However, this bill is committed to ensuring the best security architecture in the National Assembly — to protect legislators, staff, visitors, and property,” he said.

He urged State Houses of Assembly to take urgent steps to protect their complexes nationwide.

He called for support among stakeholders to ensure the quick passage of the bill, describing it as a major step toward securing Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“I wish us a peaceful and fruitful hearing that will ultimately bring a turnaround in the National Assembly’s security architecture,” he said.

Politics

N’Assembly committee Approves New State For S’East

Published

3 days ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East geo-political zone.

According to a statement by the media unit of the committee, the resolution was reached on Saturday at a two-day retreat in Lagos, where it reviewed 55 proposals for state creation across the country.

The session, chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and co-chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, resolved that, in the spirit of fairness and equity, the Federal Government should create another state for the region.

Kalu, who joined other lawmakers to champion additional state creation for the region, argued that a new state would give the people a sense of belonging.

When created, the South-East will be at par with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East zones, each having six states.

The South-East is the only geo-political zone with five states comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

The North-West comprises seven states: Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Jigawa.

According to the statement, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved a motion for the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State) at the retreat.

“The motion received the unanimous support of committee members and was adopted,” the statement read in part

Similarly, the committee also established a sub-committee to consider the creation of additional states and local government areas across all six geo-political zones, noting that a total of 278 proposals were submitted for review.

Speaking at the event, Jibrin urged members to rally support among their colleagues at the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to ensure the resolutions sail through during voting.

“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process.

“By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders—from both chambers and the state Houses of Assembly,” the Deputy Senate President was quoted as saying.

Politics

PDP Unveils 13-member Screening Panel For National Convention

Published

4 days ago

October 25, 2025

Editor

According to a statement issued on October 25, 2025, by the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) and signed by its Chairman, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who is also the Governor of Adamawa State, the screening exercise will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.

The committee will be chaired by Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), a former Ondo State governorship candidate and respected legal luminary.

He will be assisted by Hon. Mohammed L.S. Diri (SAN) as Deputy Chairman, while Mr. Asue Ighodalo, Esq., will serve as Secretary. Jacob Otorkpa was named Deputy Secretary.

Other members of the committee include: Emmanuel Enoidem (SAN), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Mrs. Aduke Maina, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Achike Udenwa, Haj. Maryam Inna Ciroma, HM. Felix Hassan Hyat, HM. Zainab Maina, and Chinedu Nwachukwu, who will also serve as Administrative Secretary.

The statement noted that the selection reflected the PDP’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and internal democracy in the build-up to its national convention.

“The NCOC notes and expects that the exemplary conduct and strict adherence to rules and regulations during this very crucial assignment will justify the confidence reposed by the Party in members of the Committee,” the statement read.

Fintiri assured party members that the screening process will be conducted with the highest standards of fairness and impartiality, underscoring the PDP’s resolve to strengthen its democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“This exercise is crucial in ensuring that only credible, competent, and loyal members emerge to steer the affairs of our great party,” Fintiri stated.