Senate Presidency: Tinubu asked me to step down for Akpabio – Umahi

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has clarified the involvement of President-Elect, Bola Tinubu, in his decision to withdraw from the race for the 10th Senate Presidency, in favor of former Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

In response to Akpabio’s endorsement for the position by the National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Umahi explained that he had heeded Tinubu’s appeal for greater regional unity.

He said this while speaking at the newly constructed Muhammadu Buhari International Airport.

“The leader of the party who is the president-elect called me and I feel it is an honour to have called me and I consulted with him while he was in Paris and he said we were going to talk about it.

“So, when he came back he called me and we had a meeting and he said please I Have committed myself and it is his right to do that, this is the president-elect, 29th May, he is going to be the president of the country so if he had made promises of course when you are running for such office you must make promises  So I won’t be a clog in the wheel of his progress, so I had to accept.

“So, I also accepted for the interest of the South-East let it not look as if we are in opposition, we just oppose everything. Politics is all about dialogue, it is about give and takes and if we surrendered now or I said No, what will have happened?

“So, I had to in the interest of the South East, so since we didn’t get that one I am sure by God’s special  grace the efforts some of us made in marketing APC in the South East, we are going to get some other things that are tangible.”