President Bola Tinubu is believed to have come to terms with the fact that the choice of Goodwill Akpabio, whom he and the APC had earlier endorsed, is a wrong one.
With this latest development, the President, after listening to a group of Yoruba elders, has had a reconsideration and is now in support of the Kalu-Yari ticket for the Senate Presidency.
The Chief Whip of the 9th Senate and former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu had teamed up with the former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari to unbalance the scale after the APC micro-zoned the Senate Presidency to Akpabio.
Sources close to the Presidency revealed on Thursday Morning that Tinubu has jettisoned the idea of imposing the choice of principal officers of the 10th Senate on the lawmakers-elect and is already gearing up to work with Kalu and Yari should they emerge as principal officers.
One of the sources who did not want to be mentioned because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said the President was advised by Yoruba elders and the international community to withdraw from interfering in the legislative arm of the government as it would backfire after the inauguration.
The President, according to the source, expressed disappointment that Akpabio and Barau, two of the APC’s anointed candidates for Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively, have been unable to secure the trust of the required numbers of Senators-elect needed to win the election despite having the support of the party.
It would be recalled that Akpabio’s camp had earlier claimed to have the majority number of Senators-elect backing the Senate Presidency ambitions of the ex-Akwa Ibom Governor.
However, the President was said to have received confirmed intelligence of the real figures of each camp and was disappointed after finding out that Akpabio/Barau camp had only 32 senators, while Yari/Kalu camp has 68, with 9 Senators undecided on which faction to vote for.
With the palpable outrage of Islamization that could greet the country if a Muslim becomes the Senate President, the President is also said to be very uncomfortable with having a Muslim Senate President, considering he and his vice president are Muslims.
Consequently, he told an influential member of the cabinet of his preference for having Yari as Deputy Senate President while Kalu runs as Senate President, and he believes that such an arrangement will bring balance and peace among Nigerians.
Another source in the presidential villa corroborated the president’s acceptance of the Kalu/Yari ticket.
The source confirmed to MUK TV that it was the singular reason the president did not endorse anyone during the meeting with the lawmakers on Wednesday night.
According to the source, “The president’s recent concern is to have APC members as leaders of the National Assembly. He has accepted Abdulaziz Yari and Orji Kalu as presiding officers because they have the support of their colleagues. The president also believes in the capacity of the two senators because he has a personal relationship with them.”
