Why I suspended my run for Senate Speaker, by Umahi

• Suggests three terms, age limit of 70 for legislators

Outgoing Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi said yesterday that it was out of respect for his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and President-elect, Bola Tinubu, that he had suspended his ambition to become the next President of the Senate.

Umahi, who is believed to be a 10th Assembly rookie, said these elements, along with the Southeast's interest in playing center, drove his decision to withdraw from the race.

According to him, he had always wanted the Southeast to be at the center, and this informed his brand of politics to keep the region at the center of discussions. He assured other regions that Nigeria would be better off united than divided.

Umahi, who appeared on Channels TV's breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, said: "President-elect Bola Tinubu called me and said, 'Listen, I'm committed to zoning the presidency of the Senate to the South-South,' and I said, 'sir, I will not disobey you, and I have never disobeyed any sitting president, even when I was in the Democratic Party of People (PDP).

“I always defended the president, not because he did everything right. But those he hurt, it's up to me to advise him like that. Not necessarily to make it public.

“I am the chairman of the Akpabio-Barau campaign. I don't need to be president of the Senate to bring my people to the center. already love the people of the Southeast in the hearts of the leaders."

Umahi noted that as chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, he is one of the key figures representing the people of the region. He stressed that he must pave the way for the people of the Southeast.

To do this, the governor of Ebonyi said he must appeal to other regions of the country.

“Listen, we can work together; we deserve the unity of the country, and that is why I will not disobey the party and its leaders,” he added.

The governor noted that the outgoing administration, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has caused disaffection among the population and fueled unrest among the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

He noted that he had decided to suspend his race for the Senate presidency as his party zoned the position to South-South with Godswill Akpabio as the preferred candidate.

"Akpabio is my brother and my friend. I have every reason to support him." He did, however, suggest a three-term maximum and an age limit of 70 for legislators.