The Governor of Ebonyi state, David Umahi, has dropped his Senate Presidency bid and endorsed a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, instead.
The first-time senator in the 10th National Assembly said he met with the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, who told him not to run.
The Cable reported that Umahi, while addressing journalists after a meeting with Akpabio on Friday, said he would also not be considering the post of Deputy Senate President.
He said, “My brother (Akpabio) came to consult with me.
“Yesterday, I saw the president-elect on his invitation and he told me that he is already committed, and that please ‘don’t run’ and I accepted and stepped down for my brother, senator Akpabio.
“He is my consensus candidate. I also step down for him as the deputy senate president.”
Also speaking, the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, said Akpabio is the president’s preferred choice, but he did not state who he was referring to between President Muhammadu Buhari and the president-elect.
“As you can see, I am leading the campaign for Akpabio because he is the president’s preferred candidate and we have to put the interest of the country, the party, above any other interest,” Ndume said.
The development is coming barely a week after Tinubu reportedly endorsed Akpabio for the Senate presidency.