10th NASS : Allegations of inducement, irresponsible – Yari’s Group

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10th NASS : Allegations of inducement, irresponsible – Yari’s Group

Ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration of the National Assembly, some Senators-elect loyal to a contender for the Senate Presidency, former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari have waved off allegations of financial inducement made against Yari by the Sen. Godswill Akpabio group.

Senator Clever Ikisikpo who was of the 7th Senate, had on Monday made allusions to the fact that the Yari group was trying to buy votes.

“All of us are politicians and we are all kicking against vote buying. If you collect money to vote for somebody, the person you are voting for will never have regards for you. That is my advice to my colleagues, Senators-elect who will be voting on Tuesday”, Ikisikpo who has been canvassing for Senator Akpabio had said at a news conference on Monday.

Waving off claims by the Akpabio camp that senators-elect were financially induced to move enmasee to Yari, a member of the Yari camp, who would not want his name in print, described the allegation as “not only false, laughable but also unfortunate, irresponsible and a feeble resort to falsehood and smear campaign which is unbecoming of any individual that wants to lead an institution as important as the Senate”

He stressed that Senators-elect “are already made, respected, contented, very responsible and independent-minded individuals who cannot be compromised or induced”.

On his part, a former Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate and Senator-elect for Bauchi Central, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi has said there are at least 67 of his colleagues who have keyed into the aspiration of Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari to occupy the office of the Senate President.

Ningi who is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP also lampooned those who accuse Yari of trying to use money to get to office.

He said; “Those who are talking about money politics should remember how they won their party primaries about six months ago from top to bottom, using money.

“When Senator Ndume made that statement, I actually was taken aback because he is experienced to know that there is no politics that money is not involved but it is not the most critical. In this campaign, it is not about money especially for our candidate”.

According to him, “senators-elect across the camps see this allegation as a deliberate smear on our individual and collective reputation, integrity and image”.

Another Senator-elect from the South South who left Akpabio’s camp descried the allegation as false, while confirming that senators-elect are queuing behind Yari out of conviction and not influenced by any financial inducement.

He said senators-elect are not at home with Akpabio due to their conviction that he lacks the capacity to lead the Senate in addition to his unsubstantiated but damaging allegation, that National Assembly members were hugely benefiting from large contracts in the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.

“I left Sen. Akpabio because I came to realize that he doesn’t have the capacity and required regard for the institution of the legislature. Many of us have that impression. It is our conviction and we have the right to our own opinion.

“It is rather unfortunate that instead of accepting defeat and respecting the opinion of senators-elect, they are coming out with allegations of financial inducement. Senators-elect see this as a huge insult to us. How can a senator-elect label and smear his own colleagues? It is unfortunate.

“That was how Senator Akpabio accused members of the National Assembly of benefiting from large contracts in the NDDC without a proof. These are issues of integrity” he said.

He also accused the Akpabio camp of engaging in premature celebration as a result of rumours in the nation’s capital, Abuja, that Senator-elect Yari would be whisked away by security agents before Tuesday morning.

Yari’s refusal to step down from the race amid speculations that he was being backed by some top elements in his ruling All Progressives Congress APC has continued to cause ripples ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration of the National Assembly.

Yari had earlier obtained a court order which restrained security agencies from arresting him.

Specifically, Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission ICPC and the Department of State Services DSS from detaining Yari until June 27, 2023 when they should appear to show cause.

There had been speculations that Yari’s opponents were relying on the instrumentality of anti-graft and security agencies to frustrate his ambition.