By Ibrahim Danladi

Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, the Senator representing Zamfara West senatorial district, has expressed his disappointment over his defeat to Godswill Akpabio in the race for the 10th Senate Presidency. Akpabio emerged as the winner of the fiercely contested election on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, garnering a total of 63 votes, while Yari received 46 votes.

Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, decided to run for the position despite the zoning and endorsement arrangement of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Despite being the preferred choice of the ruling party and President Bola Tinubu, Yari aimed to upset the expected outcome and remained a formidable contender until the very end of the contest.

In an interview on Thursday, June 15, 2023, Yari expressed his belief that he had enough support to win the election, but some of his colleagues who had promised their votes switched sides at the last minute. According to Yari, his calculations as of 3 am on Tuesday indicated that he would secure at least 61 out of the 109 available votes, which would have been sufficient for victory.

Feeling betrayed by the turn of events, Yari acknowledged that only God truly knew what transpired during the election. While he expressed his disappointment, Yari acknowledged that life goes on and that such circumstances are a part of the cycle of life.