Vice President Kashim Shettima has appealed to senators-elect to vote a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, as president of the incoming 10th Senate.
Shettima who spoke at a dinner organised Saturday night to rally support for Senators Akpabio and Jibrin Barau joint ticket said he was ready to kneel down for the senators-elect.
He said Akpabio’s Senate presidency would engender unity and stability in the country.
“I’m ready to kneel down and beg my colleagues for them to come on board for the sake of the nation’s stability,” Shettima said.
The event had in attendance over 50 senators-elect and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
Shettima said, “Apart from the religious angle, Senator Akpabio is very competent and he has the capacity to lead the 10th National Assembly. At the same time, he is from a very important zone and also a man of Christian faith.
“So, in line with the constitution of our country and in conformity with the plurality of our union, the party and, indeed, the president, deemed it fit to support him.”
The vice president assured the senators-elect of his readiness to continue to work for the emergence of Akpabio as Senate president by talking to those who were yet to join their camp.
“I have been campaigning privately for Senators Akpabio and Barau and I will continue to do that till we deliver them on Tuesday. I will be leaving this dinner for another meeting with some senators who are yet to register their support,” he disclosed.
Akume said even before his appointment as the SGF, he was already drumming support for the Akpabio-Barau ticket, because the Tinubu-led administration needed all forms of support to kick-off on a very sound footing.
