Former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has disclosed the candidates he and other members of the G5 supported to emerge as presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly.
Wike during a press conference on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, revealed that they all supported Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas to emerge as the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
Explaining why he supported Akpabio for the number three position in the country, the immediate past Rivers State Governor disclosed that apart from his qualification and competence for the post, Akpabio also supported him when he was contesting for governorship.
He added that the G5 couldn’t stop their support midway hence their support for the candidates, boasting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can’t query him.
Wike submitted further that the 10th National Assembly won’t be a rubber stamp legislative arm as he expressed confidence in the ability of Akpabio. In his view, a cordial relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government does not automatically mean a ‘rubber stamp’ assembly.
In his words, the emergence of Akpabio from the South-South as the president of the Senate is “a clear testimony that Nigerians are interested in the unity of the country”.
He added that President Bola Tinubu has equally proven that he will not allow the country to be polarised.
“I don’t believe that Akpabio will be rubber-stamped. I also supported him because he equally supported me when I was running for governorship.
“Akpabio is a competent, qualified and educated person. He is an orator who can represent this country anywhere. What other qualifications do you want?
“Rivers state and the G5 Governors all supported Akpabio because we couldn’t stop our support midway,” he added.
They include Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, as well as former governors Wike, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Okezie Ikpeaz (Abia).
