Akpabio swears in two senators following successful bye elections

The Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday, swore in two new senators, Joseph Ikpea (APC), for Edo Central, and Emmanuel Nwachukwu (APGA), as Senator for Anambra South respectively.

The swearing-in followed the bye-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to fill the vacant seats in the two Senatorial Districts.

It would be recalled that INEC had declared the Edo Central Senatorial seat vacant following the election of the former occupier, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who is now the Governor of the state, and this led to the emergence of Ikpea to replace him.

Meanwhile, the death of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, a senator representing Anambra South in the Senate, necessitated the conduct of a by-election, which was contested by 12 political parties on August 16.

However, the new development makes the total senators from APC to be 71, while PDP has 28 senators, Labour Party, LP, 5, NNPP 1, SDP 2 and APGA 2, total 109.

The oath of office and allegiance was administered on Thursday by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, to Ikpea and Nwachukwu during plenary.

In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who congratulated them, said that the Senate is a family of the most elite club in the world, just as he welcomed them to the club.

Akpabio urged the new Senators to remain focused and do those things that will make the country great, saying that they are Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and no longer carrying the name of their parties.

The senate president also urged them to study the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders as amended in 2023 properly.

Source: Vanguard newspaper