Ali Ndume senator representing Borno south district, says the zoning formula released by the All Progressives Congress for national assembly leadership is not binding on other federal lawmakers.
Recall that the APC had nominated Godswill Akpabio for senate president and Abbas Tajudeen, a ranking member of the house of representatives, as leaders of the 10th national assembly.
The announcement came after two months of intense politicking by some lawmakers-elect for leadership positions in the national assembly.
Reacting to the development, Ndume said Godswill Akpabio is not the “anointed” candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of the 10th national assembly.
Speaking in a chat with Arise TV on Monday, Ndume said Akpabio is only a preferred choice of the party and that does not preclude the conduct of election for those that will steer the affairs of the red and green chambers.
Ndume noted that describing Akpabio as the anointed candidate would connote a “fait accompli”, adding that the label does not represent the situation.
Ndume, who had also declared his interest in the position, said the senators would still have to vote to determine the leader of the red chamber.
“I don’t think anointed is the right word to use. The APC has Akpabio as its preferred candidate, that would be a better word,” he said.
“Not anointed but preferred candidate. Because if it is anointed then it is fait accompli, which is not the case. We have to go into the chamber and vote, and it can go anywhere.
“Akpabio is going to be first among the equals as president of the senate. It is going to take the remaining 108 of us to restore integrity to the senate.”