•L-R: Tony Okocha (Rivers), Alphonsus Ogar (Cross River), Denis Otiotio (Bayelsa), Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Umeni Soboti (Delta) and Stephen Ntukekpo (Akwa Ibom State), after a courtesy visit to the Senate president by All Progressives Congress chairmen from the South South geo-political zone in Abuja, yesterday.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has charged the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the South South zone to work harder so that the visibility of the party in the region would grow from one state to more states.
He gave the charge while receiving APC chairmen from the region who visited him in Abuja, yesterday.
Akpabio, who noted that he understood the challenges being faced by the chairmen, assured that “in the days ahead, a meeting of critical stakeholders, comprising state chairmen, National Assembly members, ministers and other appointees from the region would be convened to work out modalities to support the party at various state chapters, as a way of engendering unity and understanding, among all party members to foster social cohesion between the party and elected/ appointed officials in government.”
He commended the chairmen for their visit and used the opportunity to intimate them of the plans of the President Bola Tinubu-led government towards the economic prosperity agenda for Nigeria as a whole and South South in particular.
The Senate president thanked President Tinubu for the Lagos/Calabar coastal road, describing it as visionary. He also informed the chairmen that he personally inspected the ongoing construction of the project with the minister of works in Lagos before returning to Abuja.
In his remarks on behalf of his colleagues, the Cross River State Chairman, Alphonsus Ogar, commended the harmonious working relationship between the Senate president and the only governor from the zone, Bassey Otu, and their spouses.
Expressing solidarity with the Senate president, he recounted that the South South geo-political zone last had the seat of Senate president in 1979, 45 years ago.
The chairmen declared their support for Akpabio’s commitment towards the infrastructure development of the area, especially the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal road and railway line being embarked upon by the Tinubu administration.
He said: “The completion of this project within record time would immortalise President Tinubu in the hearts of the people of the region.” He, therefore, appealed to the Senate president, not to be distracted by the antics of the opposition as the Lagos/Calabar coastal road project is the most ambitious and laudable project, ever to have been embarked upon as a reward for a region that is contributing blood and oxygen to the economic survival.