A recent report alleging that Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, is nursing a presidential ambition has been dismissed by his spokesperson, Ola Awoniyi.
Awoniyi in a statement on Saturday, July 18, said the report claiming Ahmad Lawan is intending to contest for the presidency should be regarded as beer parlour gossips.
A media report on Friday said Lawan is scheming to contest for the presidency in 2023.
Consultations were ongoing among major stakeholders in the party to make Lawan’s goal to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in office a reality, according to Sahara Reporters.
“Consultations were ongoing among major stakeholders in the party to make Mr Lawan’s goal to succeed President Buhari in office a reality,” the report alleged.
“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 outlet had quoted a source.
But in the statement, Awoniyi said the Senate President’s preoccupation was to advance the agenda of the Ninth National Assembly to focus governance on the pursuit of the best interests of the Nigerian people.
He said 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.”
The statement said, “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.”
Meanwhile, as politicians continue to outplay one another ahead of the 2023 general elections, a founding member of All Progressive Congress (APC), Buba Galadima, has said the leadership crisis rocking the party is as a result of the politics of 2023 presidency
Buba Galadima, who was a founding APC member, reveals that the multiple factions in the ruling party are power play by bigwigs trying to take control against the next general election
Galadima, who made this known while speaking with Daily Sun, further buttressed that the power play in the ruling party has huge connection with the ambition of some party chieftains who want to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari after his tenure.
According to him, APC national leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not the only one eyeing the power seat in 2023 as he may find himself in the ring with top hierarchy members including Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state.
Galadima also listed Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and immediate former Chairman of APC Adams Oshiomhole as some of the bigwigs who may throw the hat into the ring against the ambition of the former Lagos governor.
Speaking further, the 72-year-old Yobe-born politician stated that more factions are likely to emerge in a bid to take total control of the party ahead of the next presidential election.
“Some of these things happening within APC have to do with 2023, and this is why you have different factions – about three of them desperately trying to secure control of the party,” Galadima submitted.
“Whichever among the factions of the party is able to control the party’s structure from the ward to state, and federal level stands a better chance of producing the party’s presidential candidate in 2023
“You have the Oshiomhole, and Tinubu group, you also have the El-rufai, and Amaechi’s group, and Buhari’s faction, and now the President has taken over the party.”
