A group of All Progressives Congress members working under the auspices of the National Progressive Hub have applauded the election of former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as Senate President, claiming that his victory has put an end to the alleged plot to Islamize Nigeria.
The development comes three days after the APC’s leadership dismissed the allegations.
Bala Ibrahim, the APC’s Director of Publicity, emphasised that the zoning arrangement that produced the current National Assembly leadership was done for equity, religious balance, and inclusive politics.
WITHIN NIGERIA reported that talks about an Islamisation of Nigeria agenda was exacerbated last week following the scathing religious statement by former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
El-Rufai caused a stir in the six-minute viral video when he justified his decision to appoint Muslims to top positions in the Kaduna State Government at the expense of Christians.
In the video, he told his audience that Islam’s dominance in Kaduna State governance was here to stay, and he expressed relief that the trend had been successfully replicated at the national level with the election of former Lagos Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as president and Kashim Shettima as vice president.
A statement jointly signed on Wednesday by Coordinator of National Progressive Hub, Bukie Okangbe and National Youth Leader, Tukura Kwayi, stated that Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President of the 10th Assembly has since put paid to the Islamisation agenda talks.
While congratulating the immediate past minister for Niger Delta Affairs and other principal officers elected into the lower and upper chambers, the group believed the opposition and critics of the ruling party peddled the rumour.
The statement partly read, “We congratulate our uncommon senator, Senator Godswill Akpabio on his emergence as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Your emergence as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly shows a confirmation of your national spread, your legislative capacity and the uncommon greatness you have brought to politics which obviously cut across board.
“It has further put to rest the islamisation agenda insinuation in some quarters by the opposition and enemies of the APC to paint the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima in bad image. We believe that such insinuation in the public domain has been laid to rest forever now. Your victory has rekindled the hopes of millions of Nigerians once more that the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come to stay.
“Without any iota of skepticism, we are sure that Nigeria is now set to witness a highly robust good governance and excellent leadership, devoid of unnecessary rancour and distraction judging from the capacities and competences of our president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and yourself as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly.”