Godswill Akpabio Emerges as the New Senate President of Nigeria
The 10th National Assembly’s new president is Senator Godswill Akpabio. He defeated Senator Abdul’aziz Yari on Tuesday to become the new Senate President.
With 63 votes to Senator Yari’s 46, the former governor of Akwa Ibom was re-elected as president of the 10th Senate.
Following Senator Ahmad Lawan, who is also a member of the 10th Senate, Senator Akpabio was sworn in as the President of the Senate for the 10th National Assembly.
The moment former Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio was announced as the Senate -president pic.twitter.com/D1H3WL1rmc
— Channels Television (@channelstv) June 13, 2023
Senator Godswill Akpabio taking the oath of office as the Senate President pic.twitter.com/yruPTBK18X
— Channels Television (@channelstv) June 13, 2023
To replace Ovie Omo-Agege as Senate Deputy President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who represents the Kano North Senatorial District, won the election without opposition.
Additionally, Benjamin Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, was elected on Tuesday to serve as the Deputy Speaker of the House for the 10th National Assembly, succeeding Tajudeen Abbas, a member of the House of Representatives from Zaria Federal Constituency in Kaduna State.
The Red Chamber in Abuja, Nigeria, already voted.
Tuesday’s election was cast state by state, alphabetically, starting at precisely 8:45 a.m.
At exactly 9:15 am, voting was completed.
On the dot of 09:44, Akpabio took the oath of office.
Akpabio’s Long Walk to Senate President
60-year-old Akpabio has legal training. The former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, later nominated the native of Ikot Ntuen in the Essien Udim Local Government Area as Commissioner. Akpabio served as the local government and chieftaincy affairs, lands and housing, petroleum and natural resources, and commissioner from 2002 to 2006.
When he won the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District seat in the Senate, he was subsequently elected to serve as governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Akpabio joined the Senate in 2015 and quickly rose to the position of Senate Minority Leader, which he left in 2018 after joining the All Progressive Congress (APC).
After being approved by the National Assembly, Akpabio was sworn in as the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs in August 2019. At the time, President Muhammadu Buhari.
When he purchased the APC presidential nomination in 2022, Akpabio resigned, but he later made way for Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, and present president of the nation.
