9th Senate: Borno governor, Shettima, endorses Ahmad Lawan

BORNO state Governor, KASHIM Shetima, said on Monday,  that he was throwing his weight behind the ambition of Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan as the Senate President of the incoming 9th Senate.

The Governor, who is one of the three Senators-elect from Borno State on Monday openly declared his support for Ahmad Lawan in his Abuja residence in the presence of 14 other Senators – elect from across the six geopolitical zones.

He declared that though Senator Ali Ndume, who is from Borno like him is also contesting for the position of President of the 9th Senate, he would support Lawan being the candidate of their party.

He stated that the Yobe Senator is also the candidate of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of the third senator from Borno state, Abubakar Kyari.

The Governor said:”  I hail from the same state with the distinguished senator Ali Ndume and I appreciate the fact that politics is local. But politics is also national. And I believe the bond that binds us together supercedes whatever we might harbour.

” For the position of President of the 9th Senate,  I fully aligned with the aspiration of my party and that of President Muhammadu Buhari and by the grace of God, we are going to mobilize all our goodwill to see that we are fully onboard .

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” We are for Senator Ahmad Lawan, we are for Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and all other senators and other Reps members endorsed by the party.

“We are for party discipline that allowed everyone to aspire for political offices. We believe that we must respect the party. All of us won under platforms. There is no provision for an independent candidate. I am fully on board, I am for Senator Ahmad Lawan for Senate president.”

When told that his compatriot from Borno state,  Senator Ali Ndume is also in the race, Shetima said: “Well, I am the first citizen of the state, I have made wide consultations with our leaders from Borno before resolving to back Sen Ahmed Lawan. And most importantly, let’s be brutally honest, Muhammadu Buhari is the single candidate in the country that most of us from the North won the election by aligning with him.

“So, we have no basis to undermined him or to disrespect him. Though people like Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Sen Ifeanyi Ubah, Sen Francis Alimikhena etc,   but most of us from the North have no basis not to realigned ourselves with president Buhari and whoever he wants in whatever positions.

“He has endorsed some of the best hands we have in the system and where we hail from, Sen Ahmed Lawan is one of the best hands we have. It is a reality. He has been in the national assembly since 1999 he has the experience, exposure, pedigree, intellect to redefine the process.

” He is the best amongst equals. He is level headed, calm, matured and we need such quality of leadership to drive the 9th Senate”.
Just before Shettima’s open endorsement, BORNO Elders under the aegis of Concerned BORNO indigenes had e worded Ndume, insisting that the BORNO South Lawmaker earlier secured the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari.

They claimed that the President had in December 2018, well ahead of the general elections, given Ndume green light to contest the top position.