Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday suggested efforts were underway to ensure serving senators face minimal setbacks in ongoing party nomination processes, saying lawmakers had been “promised very few disappointments” ahead of the general election.
Akpabio did not explain how such assurances would be achieved, but his comments came as several senators grapple with losses in party primaries or uncertainty over their political futures.
“I know that there will always be victories and disappointments,” Akpabio told lawmakers at plenary. “In this Senate, we are promised that we will have very few disappointments. I know that the Senate Leader and the leadership of the Senate are working very hard towards that.”
The remarks sparked speculation about possible behind-the-scenes political negotiations, including reconciliations, substitutions or other arrangements that could affect candidates ahead of the next election cycle.
The Senate president made the comments as lawmakers returned from a three-week recess and the Sallah break. He congratulated political parties for completing their primaries and praised senators who secured nominations for re-election bids.
The atmosphere in the chamber reflected mixed reactions, with some lawmakers celebrating victories while others discussed losses and uncertain political prospects following contentious primaries.
Akpabio also briefly cautioned a senator against defecting to another political party, underscoring tensions arising from internal party disputes.
In a separate development, the Kogi East Elites Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) urged Akpabio and James Faleke to allow stakeholders in Kogi State to determine the political direction of the senatorial district without outside interference.
The group warned that interference in the APC’s primary process in Kogi could undermine the party’s chances in the general election. It backed Joe Erico as the preferred candidate of many stakeholders in the district and called for fairness and transparency in the selection process.
During plenary, Akpabio also referenced the recent kidnapping of 46 people, including 39 students, seven teachers and a two-year-old child, from a school in Oyo State on May 15.
Senators observed a minute of silence for the victims and mourned the killing of a teacher identified as Michael Oyedokun.
Akpabio urged a united national response to insecurity and said the Senate would soon conclude a security summit and forward recommendations to the executive for action.
