His political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had assured him that the position of the Number 3 man in the nation’s power hierarchy, was his for the taking.
Because in Nigeria, when your political party assures you of a position, that position eventually ends up yours, Lawan harbored no fears whatsoever. He could well have gone to sleep.
So, Lawan, now 60 years of age, joined other senators elected on the platform of the APC for a meeting with party godfather, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a few kilometres away from the national assembly.ADVERTISING
The Saraki plot that worked to perfection
Lawan and his APC colleagues would learn from the venue of their meeting, that Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki of Kwara central, had outsmarted them all by colluding with senators elected on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform and a sprinkling of dissident APC senators, to install himself President of the 8th Senate.
Ranking Sen Ahmed Lawan has been eyeing the number one job in parliament since forever (ThisDay)
As the 9th senate prepares to inaugurate new members and elect principal and presiding officers, Lawan once again feels that this is his time to become President of Nigeria’s Senate. He should be forgiven for not leaving anything to chance at the second time of asking, even though he still wears psychological scars from the morning Saraki dealt core APC loyalists devastating body blows.
“Let me say that we are senators who believe in party supremacy. We believe in the leadership of our party. The leadership we are seeking is that of the senate and the national assembly”, Lawan says as he sets out his stall for another senate president run.
On what he’s doing to avoid a repeat of June 9, 2015, Lawan says “APC must have learnt its lessons.
“The leadership of the party will do something differently. I am sure that our leaders will manage the huge success of APC. The party will find us very compliant and supportive.”ADVERTISING
Former APC Chairman, John Oyegun meets with Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Senator Ahmed Lawan during one of parliament’s leadership crisis in 2015 (Punch)
Lawan, a senator since 2007, has been holding meetings with key stakeholders, placing phone calls to the powers that be in the APC and the presidency, and telling everyone who cares to listen that he is best placed to take over from Saraki, who won’t be returning to the senate after being voted out by his constituency.
Lawan says; “Just like in 2015 when we sought to lead the senate, we have come to the conclusion that we have something to offer by leading the senate and the entire national assembly.
“We are not under any illusions. We know that this requires a lot in terms of momentum and work we have to do to make Nigeria better through legislative interventions, also by working with other arms of the government.
“You have known us for a long time. You know our strengths and weaknesses. We need to project what we want to offer. We need to tell Nigerians what we can do. We need everyone in this journey of four years we will embark on soon”.
Pulse understands that Lawan is the candidate of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari once again, even though the presidency has announced that it would allow parliament elect its leaders without any interference from the executive.
More men join the battle
Another ranking senator who is eyeing the senate president position is Ali Ndume (Borno South).
Senator Ali Ndume fancies himself as Senate President ( Guardian)
In 2015, Ndume says, he deferred to Saraki. In 2019, Ndume thinks he’s done enough to be handed the job. “I wanted to be the president of the senate at one time, but we cannot have two presidents in the senate at the same time and that is why you see that as soon as we have a senate president, I stood by him 100 per cent,” Ndume, whose loyalty and ties to Saraki could prove his Achilles heel in the race, says
Ndume’s constituency is backing him for the plum job, however. “We the Concerned Citizens of Borno are coming forward to urge Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to contest for the office of the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly”, declared Dauda Danladi, leader of the group and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Pakistan, during a recent press briefing.
Danjuma Goje – Former Governor of Gombe state, loves the top job too (Guardian)
Senator Danjuma Goje, Governor of Gombe State from 2003 to 2011, has also been paying courtesy visits to power brokers as he seeks support for his senate president bid.
Goje currently chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriation and he considers himself ripe for the senate president job.
Goje has been wooing senators his own way, making cold calls and telling everyone who cares to listen that he’s paid his dues in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber.
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