Yari Remains Determined To Contest For Senate Presidency Despite Akpabio Gaining Supports

A former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari has remained determined to run for Senate presidency despite Godswill Akpabio gaining sixty-one signatures for his ambition.

There had been reports that the former Akwa Ibom State governor and Senator Barau Jibrin gained 61 signatures for their joint Senate presidency bid.

A ranking senator that spoke with Daily Trust revealed that the 61 senators-elect supporting the Akpabio/Barau ticket come from various parties.

The sources also revealed that one of the front runners, Senator Ali Ndume, was asked by the president-elect to drop his ambition and support the Akpabio/Barau ticket, which he reportedly obliged.

A source said, “The President-elect summoned Ndume and asked him to step down for Akpabio in the interest of national cohesion, fairness, and religious balancing which he obliged.

“He also insisted that Ndume should be on the frontline to deliver Akpabio as the next Senate president. That’s how we started collecting signatures.

“We are still making consultations, negotiations, and collecting signatures. So far, we have collected 61 signatures that cut across party divides.”

The source said they aim to collect 70 signatures before the inauguration.

But speaking on Saturday with executives of Tinubu Shettima Network (TSN), led by the national chairman, Kailani Muhammad, in Abuja, Yari insisted on due process.

He said: “The senate presidency is senators’ business and on the D- day’ when we are going to elect our president, we will do the needful.

“When we do that, we are not for anybody. We are doing what the constitution says that we should take our leader within ourselves.

“That is what the sections of the constitution stated very clearly. What is going to happen that day, it is going to happen based on the instructions of the constitution and not for anyone. So, we are going to exercise our constitutional rights there.”