- Akpabio battles Ahmed Lawan for Senate President
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is being thrown into fresh crisis over who succeeds Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki after his impeachment by APC senators.
Party sources revealed that APC senators at their Tuesday meeting with the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, two factions were at loggerhead over who succeeds Saraki; they were said to be sharply divided between two options – Senate Majority Leader, Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe, North East; and former Senate Minority Leader who defected from PDP to APC about a week ago, Senator Godswill Akpabio, APC, Akwa Ibom, South-South.
Before the defection of Akpabio, Lawan was said to have been favoured by party leaders to succeed Saraki while Sunny Ogbuoji, APC, Ebonyi, South East; was endorsed to succeed Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
It was gathered that the earlier agreement stimulated the collection of signatures for the impeachment of Saraki and Ekweremadu.
National Daily gathered that the APC senators meeting last Tuesday was held behind closed doors at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.
Akpabio was gathered to be providing heavy weight for southern leaders in the APC since his defection from the PDP, attempting to alter certain power equation in the ruling party. The defector senator was gathered to be giving Lawan a tough race for the senate president.
Meanwhile, the plot to impeach Senate President Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu is still a mileage. The PDP has been mobilizing to frustrate every move by the ruling APC; and the stage is set for a fierce battle when the Senate reconvenes.