A group of All Progressives Congress under the aegis of National Progressive Hub has hailed the emergence of former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as Senate President, saying his victory has put the alleged plot to Islamise Nigeria to rest.
The development is coming three days after the leadership of the APC dismissed the allegations.
Director of Publicity for the APC, Bala Ibrahim, stressed the zoning arrangement that produced the current National Assembly leadership was done for equity, religious balance and inclusive politics.
The News reported that talks about an Islamisation of Nigeria’s agenda were exacerbated last week following the scathing religious statement by former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
In the six-minute viral video, El-Rufai caused a stir when he justified his choice of appointing Muslims to occupy top positions in the Kaduna State Government at the expense of Christians.
In the video, he told his audience that the dominance of Islam in the governance of Kaduna State had come to stay as he expressed relief that the trend had been successfully replicated at the national level with the election of former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as president and Kashim Shettima as the vice.
A statement jointly signed on Wednesday by the Coordinator of National Progressive Hub, Bukie Okangbe and National Youth Leader, Tukura Kwayi, stated that Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President of the 10th Assembly has since put paid to the Islamisation agenda talks.
While congratulating the immediate past minister for Niger Delta Affairs and other principal officers elected into the lower and upper chambers, the group believed the rumour was peddled by the opposition and critics of the ruling party.
The statement partly read, “We congratulate our uncommon senator, Senator Godswill Akpabio on his emergence as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Your emergence as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly shows a confirmation of your national spread, your legislative capacity and the uncommon greatness you have brought to politics which obviously cut across the board.
“It has further put to rest the Islamisation agenda insinuation in some quarters by the opposition and enemies of the APC to paint the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima in a bad image. We believe that such insinuation in the public domain has been laid to rest forever now. Your victory has rekindled the hopes of millions of Nigerians once more that the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come to stay.
“Without any iota of scepticism, we are sure that Nigeria is now set to witness a highly robust good governance and excellent leadership, devoid of unnecessary rancour and distraction judging from the capacities and competences of our president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and yourself as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly.”