A group, National Frontiers and Mobilization Initiative (NFMI) said that the contest of the 10th Senate leadership that led to the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the senate president was a process that was transparent and fair.
NFMI national coordinator, Isioma Theodora Ndah said many aspirants who were majorly of Igbo extraction willingly stepped down their aspiration before the conduct of the election with most of them queued behind senator Akpabio’s candidacy.
The group which was responding to a remark credited to a cleric, Primate Ayodele on a statement on social media tagged, “Akpabio Emerging Senate President Huge Slap to Igbos, I see Unexplainable Trouble”, added that the contest was devoid of bias as aired live by different national and international news stations.
According to a statement issued by its secretary, Austin Abel, the group noted that it was constrained to respond to Ayodele’s “gimmicks” in order to use the opportunity to set the records straight for the sake of public learning.
The statement reads in parts, “Senator Akpabio outside being the most qualified for the senate president , he is a product of democracy who grew from a common commissioner to become a two term governor of the oil rich, Akwa Ibom State and thereafter became a minority leader in the 8th Senate after he was democratically elected as Senator representing the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial district in 2015. As a beneficiary of our growing democracy, His Excellency, Akpabio will ever stand against any elements that are capable of destabilizing and incapacitating democratic procedures and rules.”
We want to remind Ayodele that the South-East and South-south regions are not in a rivalry relationship and the both regions have in the past united for a common National purpose that saw several Senator of Igbo extraction emerged as Senate President, deputy Senate President, deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and other principal positions in the National Assembly”.
“Nigeria is on the course of greatness with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope’ mandate which the Senate under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio (CON) has keyed into.”
As a group, we want to emphasize that Nigerians should be wary of statements coming from the likes of Primate Ayodele, we also use this opportunity to congratulate Nigerians especially the just inaugurated Senators of the 10th Senate on their successful inauguration. We also thank them for standing by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in endorsing and electing the Akpabio led Leadership of the Senate”, The group added.
