Ahead of the zoning of the Senate Presidency, former governor of Benue State and one of the top contenders to the nation’s number three position, Senator George Akume, has intensified consultations, meeting leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other stakeholders.

Akume, last week, met with former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; the APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu and former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in the South West.

The former Benue State governor, who is returning to the Senate for the third time, met all the leaders in their respective domains in Abeokuta, Lagos and Okuku, respectively.

Though there was no official statement after each of the meetings, it was gathered that the parleys might not be unconnected with the position of Senate Presidency.

Sources told Daily Sun that Akume had also met with former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, who may likely emerge as chairman of the APC Board of Trustees.

Also, the former governor had visited Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, a senator-elect. He also met Prof Ango Abdullahi, an influential northern elder; a former Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomasie and former Kogi State Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu.

One of Akume’s aides, said of the meeting: “Senator Akume is a very highly regarded statesman in his own right. Consultations with like-minded leaders on issues bordering on our socio-politics should be a routine affair.”

On the Senate presidency contest, the aide stated: “If the APC is truly about change, that change should reflect in the way we do things; so, we send a very strong message to all Nigerians that they can be assured of a sense of belonging irrespective of where they come from.

“We have produced a President-elect from a majority ethnicity; we have produced a vice-president-elect from another majority ethnic group. APC must be sensitive to the sensitivities of the minorities across both divides of the Niger.

“Come to think of it, the outgoing President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is from a minority ethnic group. What is in stock for the minorities in the incoming administration?”

Meanwhile, APC is yet to officially zone the Senate Presidency. Initially, there were speculations that the party had zoned the top post to North Central. Following this, names like Akume and Senator Bukola Saraki were mentioned as front-runners.

Later, it was rumoured that the party had settled for the North East. Senator Ahmed Lawan was touted as the man to beat in the zone.

Also, it was speculated that the Speaker of the House of Representatives had been zoned to the South-West, but the North East and North West have stepped up their challenge for the position in recent weeks.

•Adapted from Daily Sun. Photo shows Akume.

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