• Urges EFCC to intervene • As APC youths appeal position be zoned to N’West

An anti-graft group, Adopt A Goal for National Development Initiative (AGNDI), has raised the alarm over ongoing effort by an aspirant for the Senate Presidency seat to curry the support of each senator with a bribe of $10,000.

The group, in a statement, by its Director of Programme, Victor Martins, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to curtail the ugly trend in the interest of the country.

Accusing an outgoing governor, who was recently elected to the upper legislative chamber, the group called on the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to be cautious in choosing whom to support for leadership positions in the National Assembly.

The group said: “We are shocked by reports accusing an aspirant for the position of the Senate presidency of bribing senators-elect with the sum of $10,000 to curry their favours. The despicable act, our group discovered, could be traced to a former Chief Executive of a state in the North, who would be inaugurated into the Senate for the first time in June.

“He has been accused of boasting that he would stop at nothing in getting the highly coveted seat no matter the cost. The Senator-elect, who wrote a letter, congratulating all senators-elect, mischievously referred to himself in the letter as ‘Distinguished Senator,’ instead of Senator-elect, apparently to hoodwink new members.

“The question is, how could a fresher, who has neither stepped his feet into the Senate floor nor been inaugurated refer to himself as ‘Distinguished Senator?’”

“Our group calls for urgent attention to the issue of this former governor, who, though a fresher going to the Senate, is already corrupting the system.”

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) North West youths have appealed to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, the party leadership and party stakeholders to zone the office of Senate president to the North West.

They said zoning Senate presidency to the North West has become imperative, bearing in mind the region’s active participation and contribution towards the victory of the party in the just concluded presidential election.

The APC youth wing said it observed that the party is taking too long to deliberate on which region should occupy the Senate presidency, as the region has capable lawmakers in the party, who were re-elected and can occupy the seat.