There may be some setbacks in the camp of Godswill Akpabio, the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate for the office of Senate President of the Tenth National Assembly.
This could be attributed to the purported silent conflict between President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu.
Strong indicators suggest that Adamu is unconcerned by Akpabio’s opposition from other party hopefuls who have refused to step down in order for party dominance to prevail.
10th NASS: Tinubu Allegedly Withdraws Support For Akpabio’s Bid For Senate Presidency
According to this platform, both the President and Adamu have not met one-on-one since his inauguration, and suspicions are that this cold war between the two elephants will have an impact on Akpabio’s rise.
According to The Whistler, it was this reported cold war between the two that made Adamu hesitant to call the election and impose discipline in which all candidates opposing the president’s pick stood down.
It was also learned that Akpabio attempted to meet with Adamu over the weekend in order to get his support by inventing a way for opposition candidates to step down, but his attempts were futile.
According to APC sources, Adamu is less interested about who becomes Senate President and House Speaker because they are not his preferred candidates for such roles.
Salihu Moh. Lukman, the APC’s North West Zonal Chairman, had previously accused Adamu of working for him.
10th NASS Leadership: Shettima Back South East For Senate Presidency
He claimed that, despite the zoning agreement for the 10th Assembly’s key offices, which Adamu was obligated to support, “he is acting as a factional leader opposing the decision of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC.)”
Lukman had said “Instead of working for the success of the decision of the NWC through activating meetings of higher organs of the party to confer more legitimacy to the decision of the NWC, he seems to be more interested in ensuring that the 2015 model of rebellious leadership emerges in the 10th National Assembly.”
To make matters worse, party insiders have indicated that members of the NWC are also actively lobbying for ministerial jobs, so they are less concerned with who emerges as what.
On Sunday, it was reported that there were determined efforts to derail the strongest candidate opposing Akpabio, former Zamfara State Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari, by co-opting his biggest backer, Orji Uzor Kalu, the Senate’s immediate Chief Whip.
10th NASS: Lawan Pressures Tinubu To Reject Akpabio, Back Oshiomhole
A member of Murkta Betara camp, who said he joined the APC during its formative years noted told The Whistler that “The National Working Committee of the APC is not bothered because those announced as the choices of the party were those selected by the president,” adding that, “the party could have shown more interest if it “had a say” in the matter.
However, a member of the Akpabio camp said efforts are still on to ensure the party’s National Chairman sees “the project as his and the party’s rather than the president’s, he has to see it that way,” the source said.
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