10th NASS: Akpabio emerges senate President, defeats Yari
- Imo party delegates dead in an accident
Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Tuesday morning emerged the 10th President of the Nigerian Senate in a keenly contested race as the new government of the country led by the All Progressive Congress (APC) begin to build administrative structures.
Supporters of Senator Akpabio who also functioned as the Minister of Niger Delta surrounded him with congratulatory jubilation even before the results of the election of leaders of the National Assembly are yet to be officially announced.
Senator Akpabio scored 63 votes to defeat his closest rival, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who got 46 votes.
Senator Jibrin Barau emerged as the Deputy President after his nomination was the only one put forward by former governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi.
The Oracle Today reports that the ongoing excitement at the election of National Assembly members was doused by news of fatal accident involving party supporters travelling from Imo State to ‘witness the election.’
Secondary media reports have it that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Imo State travelling to Abuja to witness the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly died in a motor accident which claimed their lives.
The accident which, according to the reports, occurred at Agbor in Delta State, when their bus ran into another vehicle in a head on collision, leaving two men and a woman deal. The rest sustained varying degrees of injury from the incident.
Both the dead and injured victim of the accident, it was reported, have been rushed to different hospitals.
Two males from the Amaraku community in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of the state and a female from the Ogbor community in the same LGA died in the auto crash, it was gathered.
The victims were said to be the coordinators of the senator-elect for Imo North, Patrick Ndubueze, and the House of Representatives member-elect for Okigwe North Federal Constituency, Mirriam Onuoha.
Spokesman for the APC in Imo State, Cajetan Duke, said that the party could confirm only two persons dead in the accident.
Details later
