Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, talks to LEKE BAIYEWU on why he stepped down for a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, in the race for the next Senate President, among other issues
Let me tell you that I don’t know very much about Akpabio, but you know I worked with him for a short time – about two years. When I was the Majority Leader, he was the Minority Leader. One thing I know is that Akpabio is reliable. One thing I know is that he has the capacity. He was once a commissioner, he was governor, he was Senate Minority Leader, and then, he was a minister. At a point, he attempted to be the President before he stepped down for the President-elect.
What if a current President of the Senate is prosecuted, found guilty and sentenced; is that not a bad image for the country? No, it is not personal. What God has done for me is a big favour that He has done for only a few . This is my sixth term in the National Assembly. I wanted to be the Senate President and I believe it would have been better, but because of the other considerations, which I have told you, especially national interest and stability, I stepped down based on the appeal by the party and the leadership. So, position is not the issue that I am looking out for. I am sure that I will get a role.
We have also agreed to restore the integrity of the Senate, which we have lost. We also agreed that we would work with the executive harmoniously without compromising the institutional independence of the legislature. We also agreed that we would work in harmony with the executive, especially the President-elect being one of our own, because the President-elect and his deputy were both senators. And as you know, senator is a life title. Once you are a senator, you are always a senator.
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