Senate President Ahmad Lawan has denied reports that he was aspiring to retain his position in the 10th Senate.
In a statement, he personally signed, on Monday, in Abuja, Sen. Lawan urged Nigerians to discountenance such reports, saying that he had never told anyone or held a meeting with people to intimate them of such an ambition.
The Senate President’s statement read, “I have read some media reports that I have joined the race for the Presidency of the 10th Senate.
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“Ordinarily, I would not have responded to these reports but when lies are not refuted, they have the tendency to create an illusion of truth.
“The truth is that I have never told anyone or held a meeting with anyone that I am running for the Presidency of the 10th Senate. So the public should discountenance the reports.
“The fact remains that I am part of the leadership of our great party, the APC, seeking to find solutions to the numerous issues arising from the contests for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly and I will continue to remain focused on that.”
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of Forum of National Assembly Legislative Aides from North West, has asked senators and Members–elect for the 10th National Assembly, contesting for leadership positions outside the choices recently made by the National Working Committee ( NWC) of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) , to back down.
Recall that the NWC of APC had in its zoning arrangements for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, picked Senator God’s will Akpabio from South-South, as the preferred candidate for Presidency of the Senate and Senator Jibrin Barau from North West for Deputy President of the Senate.
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The NWC picked Hon Tajudeen Abbas from North West for the Speakership position of the House of Representatives and Hon Benjamin Kalu from South East for the Deputy Speakership position.
The zoning arrangement was, however, not respected by some other APC federal lawmakers–elect interested in the positions like Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara West, vying for Senate President, Sani Musa vying for Deputy Senate President, Muktar Betara, vying for Speakership of the House of Representatives etc.
According to the Legislative aides from North West, the choices made by the party were in order for picking Senator Jibrin Barau for Deputy President of the Senate and Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas for Speakership of the House of Representatives.
In a statement signed by Zonal Leader, Abdulrazaq Dunkawa and Secretary, Silas Gabriel Garba in Abuja yesterday at a Press briefing, the forum said that the Northwest deserved the two presiding officers’ positions zoned to it , for contributing the highest number of votes to the APC in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The statement read, “We Legislative Aides from the North West like to place on record that the geo-political zone contributed the highest number of votes to the APC in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“Results from the elections show that North West played the crucial role of keeping APC in power by securing the majority of Honourable members and Distinguished Senators in both chambers.
“The Zone no doubt rightly deserves the zoning made by the party as far as leadership of the 10th National Assembly is concerned.
“We, therefore, call on other contestants to allow for party supremacy to establish discipline, order and legislative democracy to thrive in the 10th National Assembly.”
