Senate Presidency: APC group rejects Lawan, Ndume, Goje, demands neutral candidate

A group, All Progressives Youth Solidarity Network has called on the leadership of the ruling party and the Presidency to withdraw support for incumbent Senate leader, Ahmed Lawan as their anointed choice for the Presidency of the 9th Assembly.

Addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, Coordinator of the group, Comrade Shuaibu Usman said all the contenders for the exalted office have been tainted having played prominent roles in the current Senate leadership led by Senator Bukola Saraki.

In the race are Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan; erstwhile Senate leader, Ali Ndume and Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje.

The party stakeholders and the Presidency have since endorsed Senator Lawan. But Comrade Usman asked the party to review its support for Senator Lawan and further demanded that it should jettison its zoning arrangment for leadership of the national assembly.

The group further alleged that Senator Lawan has been moving around in the night to seek support of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and senators on the platform of the main opposition party contrary to expectations of the APC stakeholders.

He said: “Today, one of the contenders for the office of the Senate President, an APC member, Senator Ahmed Lawan has commenced visitation of PDP governors mostly at night to seal deals with the opposition party in order to gain their favour. The meeting is to persuade PDP Senators to support the candidacy of Lawan.

“It is a clear statement that, all the PDP Governors Ahmed Lawan has visited, pleading for them to prevail on their Senators- elect have also demanded the deputy Senate President’s slot for the PDP which Lawan agreed. He has also commissioned some PDP senators to lobby for him as he is ready to cede the deputy Senate President’s seat and other choice Committee chairmen of the Senate to the opposition.

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“We make bold to say that, while most APC young leaders fault our National Chairman’s statement of endorsing Ahmed Lawan as a preferred candidate for the Senate President, we stood by the Chairman trying to convince other members of our great Party but Senator Lawan has clearly betrayed the Party and Mr President for his alliance with the PDP in a desperate move to lead the Nation as President of the Senate.

“This, we consider as a deliberate decision to destabilise President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration which he may not be aware. The alliance has gone far and any mistake made towards the selection of the leadership of the National Assembly, the Party, Mr President and Nigerians will be dragged backward. Every Nigerian knows the mindset of the PDP Governors toward President Muhammadu Buhari because of his stance against corruption.

“On this note, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and party faithfuls to immediately come to the aid of the APC members and shop for a candidate without PDP connection ahead of the June inauguration of the National Assembly.

“We must stop any agreement Senator Lawan has made with the PDP and o stall a complete APC Senate President , loyal in the morning and committed at night, not APC in the day and PDP at night.”