***Says in this Senate, the matter will be revisited, we are promised that we will have very few disappointments
*** Says Senate Leader, the leadership of the Senate is working very hard towards that
*** Condemns Oyo abductions, says it’s not merely an attack on innocent citizens, but an assault on our collective humanity
*** Warns that Politicians and aspirants must resist that temptation for such cheap publicity
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- THERE are strong indications that succour is coming on the way of Senators who lost at the recently concluded primaries as the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has disclosed that they were promised that they will have very few disappointments.
This was defeats suffered by 40 serving Senators at the recently conducted party primaries last month ahead of the 2027 general election, came during plenary with pacification by Akpabio to those who lost.
While congratulating those who succeeded in the primaries across party lines , he lamented that envisaged defeats from the primaries , were not as huge as suffered.
In his opening remarks as the Senators resume plenary on Tuesday from three weeks recess taken for the primaries, the President of the Senate said that the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central and the leadership of the Senate are working very hard towards the realization of the promise.
Recall that at the recent Senatorial primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, other parties, while some Senators in the present 10th Senate won tickets of their parties to return to the 11th Senate, others could not make it.
Akpabio said, “I would say I congratulate the political parties, one or two of which emanated from these chambers. They recently concluded their primaries and all the internal democratic processes. I felicitate particularly with those who have secured their mandates. Thank you. to represent their parties in the next election. I know that there will always be victories and disappointments, yet above every individual triumph stands a greater triumph, the triumph of democracy itself.
“And in this Senate, we are promised that we will have very few disappointments. And I do know that the Senate leader and the leadership of the Senate is working very hard towards that. So in advance, I will say congratulations to all of us across party lines.”
For further pacification and nerves cooling, the President of the Senate later led Senators into closed door session which lasted for two solid hours .
Recall that prior to the primaries, the Senate held series of closed door sessions from which assurances were to Senators by their leaders on automatic or return ticket by consus .
However at the beginning of the primaries , only the President of the Senate , Godwill Akpabio ( Akwa Ibom North West ) and the Leader , Opeyemi Bamidele ( Ekiti Central ) , got automatic tickets while the Deputy President of the Senate , Barau Jibrin ( Kano North ), the three Senators from Borno and Lagos States, Adams Oshiomhole, Edo North, others got return tickets through consensus arrangement .
In the statistics of the primaries across the various political parties , 60 out of the serving 105 Senators , secured return tickets while 40 failed in their bids to secure return tickets .
Some of the forty serving senators who lost out in their bids for return tickets are the Deputy Leader of the Senate , Lola Ashiru ( Kwara South ) , Jibrin Isah ( Kogi East ) , Gbenga Daniel ( Ogun East), and Abbas Aminu Iya ( Adamawa Central )
Others are ÷ Kaila Samaila Dahuwa ( Bauchi North), Titus Tartenger Zam ( Benue North West) , Emmanuel Udende ( Benue North East) , William Eteng Jonah ( Cross River Central ) , Neda Imasuen ( Edo South) and Danjuma Goje ( Gombe Central ) .
Also failed in securing return tickets are Senators Francis Ezenwa ( Imo East) , Musa Garba ( Kebbi South), Adeniyi Adegbonmire ( Ondo Central) , Olajide Ipinsagba ( Ondo North), Olubiyi Fadeyi Oluwole ( Osun Central), Diket Plang ( Plateau Central) and Banigo Ipalibo Harry ( Rivers West ) .
Part of the forty serving senators who lost in return tickets bids are those who contested for governorship seats of their states but lost out some of whom are Senators Saliu Mustapha ( Kwara Central ) Abdulfatai Buhari ( Oyo North) , Shehu Buba ( Bauchi South ) Onawu Mohammed Ogoshi ( Nasarawa South ) , Abdul Ningi ( Bauchi Central) etc .
Also yesterday, the Senate condemned in very strong terms, while describing the events surrounding the abduction that occurred in the Orire Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking further, the President of the Senate declared that the abduction of scores of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state represents a moment of national distress, warning that Politicians and aspirants must resist that temptation for such cheap publicity.
The Senate President advised politicians against exploiting security challenges and national tragedies for political advantage, said, “there is always a temptation to divide, to accuse and to seek advantage from tragedy. Politicians must resist the temptation of cheap publicity.
“Those who kidnap our children, terrorise our communities and murder innocent citizens do not distinguish between party, faith or ethnic group affiliation. The assault is directed against Nigeria itself. Therefore, our response must be equal to the challenge.”
Akpabio who noted that the Senate was resuming legislative activities under the shadow of a national tragedy, referring to the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, said that the incident was not only an attack on innocent citizens but also on the nation’s collective conscience.
He said, “My friends and colleagues, as we resume our work under the mournful shadow of a tragedy that has shaken our nation, the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, this is not merely an attack on innocent citizens. It is an assault on our collective humanity.
“We mourn because if we cannot protect our children, we are imperilling our future. We mourn because a nation that cannot guarantee the safety of its teachers weakens the very foundation upon which education rests.”
Akpabio who lamented that as long as the victims remained in captivity, the country itself remained burdened by the tragedy, said, “We mourn because for as long as those children remain in captivity, our nation remains captive with them.”
Paying tribute to two educators, Michael Oyedokun and Adesha Adeboe, who lost their lives in connection with the attack, as well as a child who died during the incident, the President of the Senate said, “We share the pain of the families. Their collective loss is our loss, their sorrow is our sorrow, their pain is our pain.”
Akpabio who expressed confidence in the efforts of security agencies to rescue those still being held, however commended their ongoing operations and appealed for patience, adding, “through the determined efforts of this government and our security agencies, we remain hopeful that those in captivity will be rescued safely and reunited with their loved ones.
“If you move in there to wipe out the terrorists, you may end up wiping out the children. So it might take a while to distinguish the chaff from the grain.”
The President of the Senate who called on Nigerians and lawmakers to support all lawful measures aimed at strengthening national security and protecting schools and communities, said, “We must stand united, we must stand firm and we must be resolute in finding solutions together. Let us support every lawful measure to strengthen security, protect our schools, protect our communities and ensure that every bandit faces the full weight of the law.”
The President of the Senate further directed that the Senate leadership should expedite plans for a national security summit earlier proposed by the upper chamber, adding, “I want to employ the Leader of the Senate to quickly fix a date for us to conclude our security summit. We must now have that security summit with a view to submitting our own resolutions and what we think we can do to further strengthen the efforts of the security services.”
