“There Was a Betrayal” – Yari Opens Up After Losing Senate Presidency to Akpabio

Former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, has expressed his disappointment and alleged betrayal by some of his colleagues after losing the Senate presidency to Senator Godswill Akpabio.

TrackNews reports that Akpabio, the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), emerged as the President of the 10th Senate on Tuesday with a total of 63 votes, while Yari received 46 votes.

During an interview in Abuja on Thursday, Yari shared his perspective on the election and revealed that his calculations, as of 3 am on Tuesday, indicated that he would secure at least 61 out of the 109 available votes, which would have ensured his victory.

Despite feeling betrayed by the outcome, Yari acknowledged that only God knew what had transpired.

“Yes, I can say there was a betrayal. That’s the truth because as we were assessing the situation at 3 am during the Monday-Tuesday election, we had a tally of over 76 votes. However, as is often the case with human beings, we anticipated a withdrawal of about 15 votes, which would still have given us a comfortable 61 to secure the election,” Yari explained.

“But the reverse happened, and only God knows what transpired. So, I feel betrayed, but life goes on, and this is all part of the cycle.”

Apart from Akpabio’s victory, Senator Jibrin Barau, representing the Kano North Senatorial District, was elected unopposed as the Senate Deputy President, succeeding Ovie Omo-Agege.

In addition, Tajudeen Abbas, a member of the House of Representatives from Zaria Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, was elected as the Speaker of the Green Chamber, while Benjamin Kalu, a representative of Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, assumed the role of Deputy Speaker