One of the top contenders for the Senate presidency, Senator George Akume, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday met at the Lagos home of Tinubu.

Our correspondent learnt that at the meeting which took place around 3pm, Tinubu told Akume to shelve his ambition and support Senator Ahmed Lawan, who represents Yobe-North senatorial district in the 8th Senate.

The battle for the Senate presidency was between the North-East and the North-Central. Akume, who is currently the Senate Minority Leader, represents Benue-North senatorial district in the Senate.

Senator Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara-Central senatorial district in the North-Central geopolitical zone, had also openly expressed his intention to contest the number three seat in the country.

However, it was learnt that the leadership of the APC finally decided to zone the Senate presidency to the North-East following ‘fresh developments’.

A reliable source in the APC told our correspondent that Lawan had already been backed by the current Senate President, David Mark, and other members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He said, “Tinubu explained to Akume that Lawan and Senator Mark are very close and already, some members of the PDP support him. Lawan has a good track record in the Senate and has been backed by almost all the senators in the North-East who feel the zone has been seriously marginalised.

“The catch there is that if the APC members in the Senate do not support Lawan and he wins the Senate presidency with bloc votes from the PDP and his friends in the North-East, he will be loyal to the PDP and may sideline us just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, attributed his victory to the APC back in 2011 even though he was a member of the PDP.

“Mark will definitely do everything possible to ensure that Akume does not emerge Senate President if we pick Akume because they are not on good terms. Tinubu told Akume that he sacrificed his presidential ambition for the sake of the party.

“Tinubu, therefore, urged Akume to settle for the Deputy Senate presidency or Senate Majority Leader.”

The 8th Senate will have 60 APC members while the PDP will have 48. The number of senators in the North-East is 18.

The source said Akume was also asked to step down because the North-Central, where he hails from, had been holding the Senate presidency since 2007 while the North-East had never presided over the upper chamber of the National Assembly since independence.

He added that giving the North-East the seat would also be a way of rewarding them for giving the APC the second highest number of votes during the presidential election.

He said, “The current Senate president is from Benue State and has been in charge for eight years. Would it be fair to also handover the Senate presidency to another person from Benue?

“The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, got more than 2.5 million votes from the North-East and this should be rewarded.”

It was learnt that Lawan, who just won a third term in office, had already been accepted by those close to the President-elect because he was among those who led Buhari’s presidential campaign in the then All Nigeria Peoples Party in 2007 in Yobe State.

The source told our correspondent that a committee comprising Tinubu’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Senator Ajayi Boroffice had been set up to meet with the aggrieved parties.


http://www.punchng.com/news/akume-tinubu-meet-in-lagos-over-senate-presidency/

GMB my HERO FASHOLA my ROLE model

Well i hope the meeting is for the betterment of the ordinary citizen of Nigeria.

incase

Akume should see that the choice has been removed from Tinubu's hands.
Abi,im wan go be senate president for Lagos?

It won't also be long before Saraki goes to meet him.

We are watching . GEJ my HERO! FAYOSE my ROLE MODEL!!

Tinubu sold south west to d north Be ready for a shocker ma yoruba people

Na him sabi

Good Morning Nigeria

GMB My Hereo
Ameachi my Role Model

booked

All of them na thieves.

Good political moves by d jagaban himself

SHARIAREPORTERS:
Tinubu sold south west to d north Be ready for a shocker ma yoruba people

I don't understand the problems u n ur kinsman hav wt anything BAT? r we to pity you that u don't v a man like him in ur tribe? if u quote me I won't reply so bye

Yeah, That's good! We need someone that would work hand in hand with the president elect. Nigeria's problems are much, we don't want distractions. Lawen would dare not cause any problem for GMB, if not his career would be finished in the north! Here an enemy of GMB is an enemy of the masses. By the way am sure that guy na GMB candidate. GMB did not even go to Yobe for campaign but he won there with a landslide.

All we want is the Best Candidate for the Job. Is lawan going there to reward the electorate who willingly voted the General?

AWON TI BOURDILLON NI YEN

FG sorry please pay us the April salary. It wasn't civil servants that voted you out; it was the masses that had no job. We just assisted

To negotiate the price for the seat of the senate president

Bashirfuntua:
incase

what's incase?



[size=15]IamMaleGirl[/size]

okay... but akume should rest on this .. na God go win last last
check my signature and let Godwin

sukkot:
AWON TI BOURDILLON NI YEN

yes oooo,original business kingdom

Who cares?..#sipping my coffee gently#.

OK..

For what?

Akume is the most qualified having served as minority leader for 4yrs. In my opinion, what he needs to do is campaign amongst his colleaques to support his move.

Good development.
Key positions like this should be given to persons with interest of Nigerians at heart and not individual or regional interest. If Lawan is good for it let him have it. Our problem now is beyond zoning. Let's help Nigeria attain her true status. Leave out mediocrity.
Kudos to Tinubu's reasoning tho!

Check mating tinz,
Politics is a game of numbers whoever can share the heaviest "Ghana must go" wins.
















Shikena

Looking out for their interest only. Nigerian politicians. Only fools will believe that this current ones are different

SHARIAREPORTERS:
Tinubu sold south west to d north
Be ready for a shocker ma yoruba people

we like it like dat. Are you happy now?