By Becky Usman

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on senators-elect to exercise thoughtful judgment when the upper legislative chamber convenes next week for its inaugural session.

The Senate is set to elect its presiding officers for the 10th assembly on Tuesday.

During the valedictory session of the ninth senate on Saturday, Shettima addressed the lawmakers, emphasizing that the stability of the country takes precedence over their personal interests.

Allegations have emerged suggesting that some contenders for the position of senate president are employing financial incentives to sway the votes of senators-elect in their favor.

While the All Progressives Congress (APC) has nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, for the role of senate president, Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor of Zamfara, and Orji Uzor Kalu, chief whip, have persistently expressed their intentions to vie for the position.

The vice-president stressed that the country’s welfare should be the guiding factor in selecting the senate president and deputy.

“To my incoming colleagues, I leave you with this parable: ‘the stability of this nation surpasses the stability of our personal gains.’ Let us vote wisely on Tuesday and choose in favor of the Nigerian nation,” he urged.

The second-highest-ranking official described his fellow senators as “friends who have become an integral part of my history.”

“We have stood together in the face of adversity, working tirelessly for the progress of our nation,” he remarked.