10th NASS: Shettima Reveals Why Tinubu Chose Akpabio Over Kalu, Others

• Nigeria's vice president-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, has further confirmed that Godswill Akpabio is the chosen one for the Senate President seat
• Shortly after a meeting with some lawmakers in Abuja on Friday, May 12, Shettima revealed why president-elect Bola Tinubu chose Akpabio
• He stated that Akpabio's selection aimed to avoid a situation where Muslims would hold all four top seats

FCT, Abuja - The vice-president-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima has revealed that Godswill Akpabio was nominated for the Senate Presidency by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu to avoid the “negative narrative of Islamization.”

As reported by Premium Times, the former governor of Borno stated this on Friday, May 12 during a meeting with Hon Tajudeen Abbas, the anointed candidate of Tinubu for the speakership seat of the House of Representatives.

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He stated that bringing Akpabio into the fold will automatically stop a situation where all four major seats in the country are being held under the control of Muslims.

Already, Tinubu, Shettima and Abbas are all Muslims while Akpabio is the only Christian in the fold.

As reported by PM News, Senator Shettima said:

“What we are trying to avoid is a situation whereby the number one citizen, number two citizen, the number three citizen and the number four citizen are all of the same faith. That will validate the negative narrative of the Islamization of Nigeria.

“That is why my principal, a fair-minded individual, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu insists the number three citizen must come from the South-south (Christian). The stability of the nation is more important than any other consideration. We are talking about inclusivity.”

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Senate: Political and economic reasons Tinubu endorses Akpabio above southeast candidates

Meanwhile, Senator Shettima did not explain why top Senators like Orji Uzor Kalu and Osita Izunaso, Christians from the southeast zone, were snubbed for the coveted Senate President seat.

But by statistics, Tinubu's decision to pick Akpabio, who is from the south-south region, may be justified due to the number of votes he generated during the presidential election.

Tinubu accrued quite a number of votes in the south-south region, but APC stalwarts in the southeast failed to deliver as Tinubu recorded the list vote in the region.

Senate: Political And Economic Reasons Tinubu Endorses Akpabio Above Southeast Candidates

Meanwhile, the ruling APC has zoned the senate presidency to the south-south and announced Godswill Akpabio as its preferred candidate.

Akpabio's nomination is against the expectation of many political pundits who have tipped candidates from the southeast for the position.

However, Tinubu's preference for Akpabio and the south-south could be traced to political and economic factors.

Source: Legit.ng