President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has charged state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the South South geo-political zone to work harder in order for the visibility of the party in the region to grow from one state to more states.
Akpabio gave the charge while receiving APC state chairmen from the South South region, who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, on Sunday.
The Senate President, who noted that he understood the challenges being faced by the chairmen, assured them 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, amongst all party members and to foster social cohesion between the party and elected/ appointed officials in government.”
He commended the APC 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.
Akpabio thanked Tinubu for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, describing it as very visionary. He went further to inform 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 brief remarks on behalf of his colleagues, the Cross River State chairman, Barr Alphonsus Ogar, commended the harmonious working relationship between the Senate President and the only governor from the zone, Sen Bassey Otu, and their spouses.
Expressing solidarity with Akpabio, he recalled that the South South geo-political zone last had the seat of Senate President in 1979, 45 years ago.
The chairmen declared their total support for Akpabio’s commitment towards the infrastructural development of the region, especially the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal highway and railway line being embarked upon by the Tinubu administration.
“The completion of this project within record time would immortalise President Tinubu in the hearts of the people of the region,” he said.
He, therefore, appealed to Akpabio not to be distracted by the antics of the opposition as the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway 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 of the nation.
