By Our Correspondent
Ahead of June 2023 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, the governor of Ebonyi state and Senator-elect; His Excellency, Mr. Dave Umahi has withdrawn from the Senate Presidency race.
According to information at our disposal, the Ebonyi state Chief Executive has declared his support for the Senate Presidential ambition of Sen. Godswill Akpabio
Both Umahi and Akpabio were elected on February 25 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While Dave Umahi, who is serving his second and last terms as governor of the Southeastern Ebonyi state, will be inaugurated as a first time Senator; Akpabio, who is also a former governor of Akwa Ibom state would be inaugurated as a ranking Senator.
Akpabio was elected in 2015 after successfully serving his two tenures as governor of his State on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). He was elected as Senate Minority Leader.
Sen. Akpabio on August 8, 2018 defected to the APC, jettisoning his position as Senate Minority Leader. He lost his reelection bid in 2019. Akpabio was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, a position he held till 2022 when he resigned to contest for Presidential ticket of the APC.
At the venue of the APC Presidential primary in Abuja, Sen. Akpabio stepped down for his then co-contender; His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu, a former Lagos state governor won the APC Presidential primary and went on to win the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.
Details later…