Despite the alleged preference for another candidate by his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a former Zamfara State Governor and Senator-elect, Abdul’Aziz Yari, has vowed to go ahead with his Senate presidency bid.
According to DailyTrust report, other contenders for the position, like Governor Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and Senator Ali Ndume (Borno) have withdrawn from the race and reportedly backed the party’s choice of former Akwa-Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio.
But Yari said Akpabio’s endorsement by President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu would, not stop him from the contest.
He spoke while meeting with the executives of the Tinubu/Shettima Network (TSN), headed by its National Chairman, Kailani Muhammad, in Abuja, on Saturday.
Yari said the contest for the Senate presidency will be based on constitutional provisions and not instructions by anyone.
He said, “What is going to happen that day, it is going to happen based on the instructions of the constitution and not for anyone.”
The former Zamfara governor said the Senate presidency contest was senators’ business, backed by the 1999 Constitution to choose their leaders within themselves and not based on instructions from anyone.
Yari is believed to have the endorsement of influential senators-elect from the Northwest, and his insistence on taking the battle to the Senate floor, is seen as a development that could prove dicey for the authority of the incoming president.