Senate President Godswill Akpabio says President Bola Tinubu’s second term will be a unity government that will reflect the inclusive composition of his presidential campaign council.
Mr Akpabio said this at plenary on Wednesday while reacting to Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele’s comments on the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council which included some members of the opposition parties.
Mr Akpabio described the development as historic, saying it was unprecedented since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 for a sitting president to constitute a campaign council involving almost all political parties.
“This is not just an inclusive government in terms of infrastructure, revenue allocation and reforms. It is also an inclusive government in terms of unity of purpose in democracy,” he said.
Akpabio said the development demonstrated that Tinubu’s second term would be a unity government, just as the campaign council represented a broad coalition of political parties.
“What we are going to witness is evidence that his second term is going to be a unity government, just like his campaign council is a unity campaign council made up of almost all the political parties in the country,” he stated.
He added that Nigeria was setting an example for Africa and congratulated President Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and leaders of the participating political parties.
Mr Akpabio also congratulated the governors and political leaders for joining the campaign council, including Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra, Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
He said their participation showed that performance was not necessarily determined by political party affiliation but by individuals.
“I can imagine how even a professor and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Soludo, will add his ideas to the next administration so that Nigeria will be better.
“This is the way Nigeria should be,” he said.
Earlier, Bamidele, while moving a motion for the Senate to adjourn proceedings until Thursday, described the composition of the APC campaign council as a historic development involving leaders from different parties.
Mr Bamidele said the council included Soludo, representing the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and Adeleke, representing the Accord Party, as state coordinators.
He also named Wike, a former governor of Rivers and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as the campaign coordinator for the FCT.
“Mr President, let me also congratulate you and members of the ruling APC, APGA, PDP and Accord Party in this chamber because, as we leave this chamber, something historic is about to happen.
“At 2 p.m. today, the Presidential Campaign Council will be inaugurated. The council includes Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, representing APGA, as a state coordinator, and Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, representing the Accord Party, as a state coordinator.
“We also have Gov. Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, representing the PDP, who will be inaugurated as the campaign coordinator for the FCT.
“My point, Mr President, is that, in the best interests of Nigerians, a rainbow coalition is indeed on the move.
“We will leave this chamber as members of different political parties and proceed to the Presidential Campaign Council. We look forward to a campaign that will celebrate ideas and strengthen our democracy,” he said.
He added that the campaign would focus on ideas and democratic values.
“We look forward to a campaign that will celebrate ideas and that will celebrate our democracy,” he added.
The Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro(PDP-Benue South) seconded the motion for adjournment.
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