Following speculations that Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, is making nnderground moves to contest 2023 Presidential Election, he has come out to say he has no such distractions. At least, not now.
Though his spokesman, Mr. Ola Awoniyi, did not categorical deny such an ambition, in a statement, he stated that his boss “believes that it is premature for anybody to be talking now about 2023 when all hands should be on deck against the myriad of challenges that faces our nation in this period.”
Two media houses – the Daily Independent newspaper and Sahara Reporters – reported that top sources within the All Progressives Congress (APC) disclosed that Lawan’s ambition was one of the reasons why Lawan nominated Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State as Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Committee of the party.
They added that Buni’s nomination had put Lawan in a strong position as one of the major contenders for the presidential ticket of the APC should the party decide to make the contest for its ticket open to candidates from every zone of the country.
SaharaReporters said it was reliably informed that consultations were ongoing among major stakeholders in the party to make Lawan’s goal to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in office a reality.
But Awoniyi in his full statement said: “The attention of the office of the President of the Senate has been drawn to a rather puerile media report that the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, is making plans to run for president in 2023. The report was first published by the Daily Independent newspaper of Friday, 17th July, 2020 and reproduced later by the Sahara Reporters.
“It is easy to see that the report emanated from the sort of practice that drags the noble profession of journalism to the gutters as it only dresses up the lazy fantasy of its unimaginative authors as a fact.
“The report apparently has its source in beer parlour gossips and should be treated with the contempt which it and those who concocted it deserves.
“It is true that the Senate President was involved in the consultations that President Muhammadu Buhari held prior to the last emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC). But there was nothing extra-ordinary in his involvement in such consultations, given his status as holder of one of the highest political offices in Nigeria and on the platform of the APC. Such is required of any concerned member of the party. It is therefore sheer mischief for anyone to read ulterior motives to the Senate President joining hands with the President and other leaders in resolving misunderstanding in their own party.
“We will like to stress that the Senate President’s preoccupation is with advancing the agenda of the Ninth National Assembly to focus governance on the pursuit of the best interests of the Nigerian people and to support President Buhari in delivering his promises to Nigerians.
“The Senate President does not suffer such needless distractions as imputed by the false report under reference. He believes that it is premature for anybody to be talking now about 2023 when all hands should be on deck against the myriad of challenges that faces our nation in this period.
“We advise the idle pseudo-journalists to look for other engagements and stop bastardising this noble profession.”
However, quoting sources, Sahara reporters said, “Lawan is making moves for presidency in 2023 and this may be his first ambition in that direction.
“He is a proponent of North-East producing the next President and that is his agenda if the zoning favours the region.
“Though there are divergent views in the party as many are pushing for it to be zoned to the South,” the source said.