Kehinde Adewole, Ado-Ekiti
A group under the aegis of Next Level Progressive Coalition (NLPC), has begun intensive lobbying for the appointment’s of a former Governor of Benue State, Chief George Akume, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) under President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term.
The group canvassed that Akume deserved being compensated for distinguishing himself as a thoroughbred and staunch member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since the consummation of the party in 2013.
It added that Akume refused to be lured into the unholy defections spearheaded by the Senate President Bukola Saraki during their journey to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in spite of the gangup against him while seeking to become the Senate Deputy President in 2015.
According to a statement signed by NLPC’s National President, Ibrahim Sanni Doguwa and National Secretary, Mr. Olufemi Akanbi, a copy of which was made available to newsmen, in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, the group said it would be a tremendous benefit to the Buhari government to make such a detribalised Nigerian the SGF, which would, in turn, add values to the Presidency.
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The group reminded all that President Buhari spent the whole of his first term fighting a battle to build trust around his presidency with the erroneous impression in some quarters that he was favouring a section of the country, adding that having Akume as SGF would build a strong bridge between the North and the South.
They described Akume as a ‘stabiliser and team player’, who has strong ties with every section of the country that can make him fit into such a lofty position to reconfigure the presidency and make it has a real national outlook as demanded by Nigerians.
The political organisation said Sen. Akume, despite losing reelection to the Senate in 2019 , had joined the train to mobilise for Sen. Ahmad Lawan as APC’s favourite for Senate President during Buhari’s second term, saying this further reaffirmed his loyalty to the party and President Buhari.
The group said, “Since the beginning of President Buhari’s administration in 2015, the opposition had embarked on widespread vilification of his appointment as favouring only a section of the country, even when the President only did that with open and clean mind.”