A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Kassim Afegbua has declared that Senator Godswill Akpabio remains the man to beat for the exalted office of President of the Senate of the 10th National Assembly.

This was as he vowed that the South-south geo-political zone remain resolute and unswerving in defence of its rights and recognition as distinguished citizens of Nigeria, stressing; “on Akpabio we stand”.

Afegbua, a political analyst and Media Consultant, noted that Akpabio has everything going for him in this particular race, stressing that those who are desperate to alter the robust and mutual agreement already in place to ensure stability of the system, will be disappointed and disgraced in the end.

The former Commissioner for Information in Edo State who stated this while reacting to “orchestrated media reports” to the effect that ‘some Senators-elect are withdrawing from supporting Senator Godswill Akpabio for the Senate Presidency’, said that nothing can be farther from the truth.

Afegbua said that the APC has zoned the Senate Presidency to the South-South and picked an eminently qualified Senator, in the person of Senator Godswill Akpabio, as the consensus candidate for the position.

He noted that the party, in taking that informed decision, took into consideration several factors that included; religious balancing, geopolitical reasons, contributions to the success of the party in the presidential election, character of the individual and their antecedents in building our nation.

In the words of Afegbua; “Senator Akpabio is not just a man of quality, content and character, additionally, he understands the intricate logic of our geopolitical sensitivities: the unity, cohesion and stability of our federation.

“Some people may be deploying illicit funds to buy the consciences of some of the senators; my response to this is, put country first; man must not live by bread alone”.

Afegbua further said that the leadership of the 10th National Assembly should be held by an individual of quality, adding that; “This quality is not about money, money, money”.

He added; “It should be about meeting the criteria of national balance, fairness and good intentions, seen through their antecedents.

“In a multi-party democracy, the supremacy of the party cannot be over-emphasised. If individuals who are driven by their inordinate ambitions wish to undermine the supremacy of the party, she may have to wield the big stick.

“The current and outgoing Senate President is a product of party supremacy; he was endorsed by the party to serve as Senate President for the current assembly.

“For the 10th Assembly, the ruling party, the APC, has stated categorically that her candidates of choice are Senators Godswill Akpabio for Senate President, and Jibrin Barau for Deputy Senate President; this position was arrived at based on sound arguments and judgments, which preponderance far outweighed any other argument.

“Therefore, every committed member in good faith and good conscience should respect this position of the party, and immediately rally together with other party members to promote her position; instead of playing havoc with the issue.

“Deploying illicit funds to bribe their way through is an unfortunate underhand tactic. With a Muslim-Muslim Presidency, it is natural to expect other religions to lead this arm of government, for religious harmony, balance and unity.

“The South-South geopolitical zone is not just an integral part of the Nigeria Federation but also one whose peace and stability, like other zones, is required to maintain and promote the economic wellness of this country,” he said.

Afegbua therefore warned that any attempt to deny the zone what has been zoned to her, could be looked upon as a deliberate effort at undermining it, stressing that such would not augur well for the nation.

He therefore said; “Give to Caesar what is his. As the treasure base of the country, the importance of the South-South zone cannot be over-emphasised. It is in our collective enlightened self-interest not to provoke the South-South by any means, worse still a dubious one, or to disturb the peace and tranquillity being experienced in the zone”.