Senator Osita Izunaso who is the lawmaker representing Imo West Senatorial district, on Tuesday declared he is the most senior lawmaker from the South-East and South-South regions and will be contesting the position.
While briefing State House reporters shortly after a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the lawmaker described himself as the most qualified person to lead the 10th National Assembly to be inaugurated in June.
The lawmaker also used the opportunity of the meeting to apprise President Buhari of his ambition to become the Senate President.
According to him, he visited the President and had a good discussion with him on a wide range of issues of national importance but declined to give further details.
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Senator Izunaso, who had expressed the strong conviction that there is a need to give the South-East a sense of belonging under the APC, also noted that beyond being the highest-ranking Senator, his tenure as the National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) puts him in a prime position for the upper chamber’s presiding officer.
When asked about his chances against major contenders like Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as well as Senator Godswill Akpabio, he declined to speak, simply maintaining that he is the oldest and will await the party’s decision.
Recall that the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu has asserted that he will only withdraw from the presidential race of the 10th National Assembly if the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu asks him to step down.
Kalu made this known on Tuesday while speaking to State House reporters after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari over his Senate Presidency ambition.
Informing the President of his intention to become the next Senate President, the former Abia State governor said the two of them simply shared laughter over the issue as Buhari issued no response, maintaining an ambiguous mood.
The lawmaker, however, stated that he has not got any assurance from anybody but as a party man, he remained hopeful.