-Amend Rules as supporters attack Akpabio
Following the amendment of Senate rules, which now stipulate that only members of the 10th Senate are eligible to hold principal positions in the 11th Senate, Governor Hope Uzodinma’s ambition to become the next Senate President has been effectively dashed.
It was gathered that, with this development, Governor Uzodinma and others aspiring to the position—despite having previously served in the Senate—are now disqualified from holding principal offices in the 11th Senate.
Recall that the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, who was recently reported to have been endorsed as the sole candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District by the Orlu Political Consultative Assembly (OPOCA), had already purchased the Expression of Interest form for the Orlu Senatorial election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the expectation of emerging as Senate President if elected.
Following this development, some of Uzodinma’s supporters, including FCC Jones Onwuasoanya, Special Adviser to the Governor on Electronic Media and State Publicity Secretary of the APC, have criticized Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of attempting to pre-empt their principal’s ambition.
Reacting to the situation, Onwuasoanya said:“What Akpabio and a few members of his cabal have done exposes a level of political cowardice, as well as the kind of ignorance often seen in people desperate to cling to a position they are not very good at.
“For someone who is on his second term as a senator, a lawyer, and the President of the Senate, Akpabio should know that this action is like trying to melt a rock with ice cubes—it cannot make any impact.
“The 10th Senate cannot impose its rules on the 11th Senate, which is yet to be constituted. We still have more than one year before the inauguration of the 11th Senate, and even if this rule is not removed before the end of the 10th Senate, the Clerk presiding over the inauguration can be empowered to change it, provided a majority of the 11th Senate supports such a move.
“However, I do not believe this rule will remain until the end of Akpabio’s tenure. Members of the 10th Senate will have to review it to ensure it is struck off, as it is not only an embarrassment to Akpabio but to every senator who supported such an action.”
Some APC stalwarts, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that now the rule has been amended to disqualify non-members of the 10th Senate from holding principal positions in the 11th Senate, Uzodinma should focus on his responsibilities as governor rather than dividing his attention with Senate Presidency ambitions.
