The joint ticket of Senators Ahmad Lawan and George Akume for the Senate presidency is now gaining more support from senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as members of the Unity Forum have increased to 40.

The race for the presidency of the 8th Senate had narrowed down last Saturday to a straight fight between Lawan and Dr Bukola Saraki after Akume from the North Central and his supporters teamed up with Lawan from the North-East.

At a two-day retreat organised by the APC for its senators-elect, Akume was said to have agreed to take the ticket of deputy Senate president after consultations with his fellow senators and party leaders.

Reports gathered that the Unity Forum, under the chairmanship of Senator Barnabas Gemade, which forged a consensus in support of Lawan as Senate president and Akume as deputy, presently boasts of 40 members.

Investigation revealed that since the Lawan/Akume ticket was announced, some APC senators, who were undecided, have finally thrown in their hat in favour of the duo.

“Many senators-elect who were yet to make up their minds before our retreat have now come on board because of the ticket and our issues-based campaign,” a ranking senator-elect who spoke to this paper on condition of anonymity, noted.

He said the Lawan/Akume ticket for the Senate presidency race was recording more successes with 40 of them on board at the last count, adding that opposition leaders in the chamber were just as excited by the team.

Read More: leadership