By EBIEDE VINCENT
Barring any last-minute change, the Nigerian Senate will on first or second week of June 2023, get new presiding officers: Senate President and Deputy Senate President for the 10th National Assembly.
The two officers, will preside over the affairs of the upper Legislative House for the next four years having been elected by the 109 senators. This intervention is in line with Section 50 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution which clearly provides that “There shall be a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by members of that House from among themselves.”
True to expectations, it is the turn of the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria to produce the next Senate President of Nigeria in the forthcoming 10th Assembly in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice. Moreover, at a time like this Nigeria needs someone with integrity as Senate President and Senator (Chief) Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON fits into the position of the 10th Senate President’s seat as a result of his honest and transparent dealings with others.
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Akpabio has an impeccable character and undeniable wealth of experience as a ranking Federal lawmaker, former Governor, former Senate Minority leader who possess excellent legal professional background to drive the aspirations and vision of the 10th Senate towards achieving its mandatory and statutory mandate.
Senator Akpabio is indeed a distinguished gentleman by every standard, a very cultured person with good temperament, discipline and high moral rectitude; and of course there are empirical evidences to substantiate these claims. When you talk about national interest and issues, I can’t see anybody in the Senate that is more qualified than him.
He’s a lawyer by profession, he understands the Senate rules, the constitution and can thoroughly interpret the rules. Asides that, he is a fair-minded person with strong conviction, requisite qualifications, experience, capacity, exceptional leadership skills, and competence for the high coveted job.
We from the South-South, we are giving Nigerians one of our best to carry on the role of a number three citizen of our country in a most decent and meritorious manner where positive and indelible marks could be imprinted for the good of our nation and also for posterity.
Akpabio is a harmonizer who understands the inherent differences between various ethnic groups and nationalities of Nigeria with respect for our respective choices of religion or mode of worship or style of our faith.
One of the things Akpabio is equally noted for is his robust ability to engage the floor of the Senate to engender common feat. He is a lawmaker, who really understands how to press down his cases very articulately and he understands use of diplomacy and maturity with his colleagues at every given opportunity. He has exhibited a lot of pragmatic strengths. His assemblage of personal principles is also unparalleled.
Since Akpabio’s foray into parliamentary duties, he has performed excellently as a key member of the Red Chamber with great doggedness and patriotism, while also exhibiting perfect knack for oversight functions and other statutory legislative roles in tandem with international best practices.
In addition, this astute politician has as well refused to compromise his virtuous and enviable principles. For Akpabio, politics is not an art of deception. His fidelity to that principle has won and cost him a few friends. But it has also underpinned the trust of his constituents, helping him to become one of the highly revered serving Federal lawmakers in Nigeria.
Indeed, Akpabio holds all the aces and he remains the best man for the 10th Senate Presidency top job and I wish him best of luck as he throws his hat into the ring.
*Ebiede Vincent is a legal practitioner and Public Affairs analyst, he wrote from Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout Road, Rivers State.
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