Politics

APC Presidential Ticket: Senators Divided Over Moves To Pick Lawan As Consensus Candidate

Published

3 years ago

May 3, 2022

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan

A sharp crack has been created in the Senate caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the quest to endorse the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate of the parliament.

Lawan, who has been at the National Assembly since 1999, is set to formally declare for the presidency this week, multiple sources around him confirmed.

But the Senate president told journalists that only God will determine his next step when asked about plans by some powerful forces in the North to support him for the presidency.

First elected into the House of Representatives in 1999, Lawan crossed over to the Senate in 2007 and since then he has remained in the Red Chamber.

Daily Trust gathered that ahead of the Yobe-born-lawmaker’s declaration, there were plans to declare him as the consensus candidate of the Senate.

It was gathered that the endorsement was being promoted by some of his allies in the parliament including Senator Yusuf Yusuf (APC, Taraba), Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger) and a former lawmaker, Senator Abdullahi Gumel.

The push for the endorsement, which started before the Senators’ Sallah recess has polarised the parliament, which is made of 71 APC, 37 PDP and one YPP member.

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The Senators had last week embarked on a recess to enable them to celebrate this Eid-el-Fitr. They are to resume on Tuesday, May 10.

If he declares, Lawan will join the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole (Ogun), Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (Lagos) and the chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) to slug it out for the APC presidential primaries.

Other aspirants eyeing the APC ticket include Dave Umahi (Ebonyi ), Dr Chris Ngige (Anambra), Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba (Imo), Senator Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ihechukwu Dallas Chima (Abia), Usman Iwu (Imo), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim (Kwara), Mr Tein Jack-Rich (Rivers), Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Adamu Garba II (Adamawa)

The ruling party had fixed its primaries for May 30 and June 1, where its flag bearer for the presidency would be elected.

Crack in APC caucus

It was gathered that moves to endorse Lawan have created a crack in the APC caucus in the Upper Chamber.

Daily Trust reports that many lawmakers have since pitched tents with other aspirants. For instance, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), is leading the campaign for Amaechi, Senator Kashim Shettima (APC, Borno) is playing a leading role in Tinubu’s campaign, while Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano) is in charge of the campaigns of the vice president.

Aside from these three, there are other lawmakers who are involved in the campaigns of other aspirants, thus the moves to present Lawan as the consensus candidate has been hanging in the balance.

In a phone interview, Senator Ali Ndume said he has not been contacted by those promoting Lawan’s candidature, saying “They have not come because they know my position.

“I have nothing against Ahmad Lawan; he is my colleague but I have everything against injustice. I won’t support even my biological brother. Fielding a northerner is tantamount to injustice and tantamount to a third term. The so-called northern elders that are pushing it are doing so to perpetuate injustice.

“It’s the turn of the South and we have to support them to actualise this. I’m disappointed with those that are pushing this. I had since taken position even before my alignment with Amaechi,” he said.

Another lawmaker, while puncturing the claims that Lawan is under intense pressure to join the race for the presidency, said the project was “The brainchild of Lawan and his few allies.

“It is untrue that he is being pushed by northern elders. He is pushing himself; otherwise, tell them to mention the northern elders. Who are they?

“It is purely his aspiration and nobody is pushing him, rather he is pushing people to key into the project. They are planning to present him as the Senate consensus candidate and we are going to outrightly and publicly resist being railroaded into this failed project,” the lawmaker said.

But a lawmaker in Lawan’s camp insisted that the Senate president was being pressured to join the race by northern elders.

Asked to mention some of the northern elders pushing the Senate President, he said, “It is not for public consumption. I’m one of them. Am I not an elder at over 70 and I have been in politics for over four decades?”

Another lawmaker in the Senate president’s camp said “Lawan is one of us and we will do all possible within our reach to support him. He is one of us.”

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Lawan to pick forms tomorrow – Aide

Contacted, one of the aides of the Senate president told our correspondent that arrangements have been concluded for the declaration of his boss.

“All things being equal, he would pick the expression of interest and nomination forms tomorrow. There is nothing wrong with a northerner to be aspiring to succeed President Buhari. The president would be happy to have a head of one of the arms of government succeed him.

“Let all the aspirants come out to test their popularity. What we all know is that Lawan is capable, experienced and can turn around the fortunes of the country positively. He is the candidate to beat,” he said.

God will determine my next step, says Lawan

While responding to his reported entry into the presidential race, Senator Lawan told State House reporters after joining other residents of the FCT on Sallah homage to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that God will determine his next step.

Asked to speak on the plans, he said: “I thought you were going to ask me about what we want to do in 2022. We passed the budget for 2022, a budget for consolidation of what we have been able to achieve in 2020, when we had an implementation of 100%.

“2022 has just finished, another 100% implementation of budget and we’re looking forward to ensure that the 2022 budget is also implemented by 100%.

“If we stabilize our economy, we stabilize our country, then people can contest, but for now everything is speculative and I believe that God, in His infinite mercy, will show us the way.”

But some political pundits said as a politician, Lawan simply dribbled his way and dodged the question which did not meant that he was not interested.

The Yobe born politician, who said people would have a place to contest elections when the economy and country were stabilised, called on citizens to shun partisanship and work towards making the country better organised.

Lawan, who said the country would have been in a better condition by now but for two recessions and the Covid-19 pandemic, stated that: “Today, we are happy to say that we’re still making progress, but would have done far better if we hadn’t had the COVID interruption.

“So, I believe that as a nation, we are moving in the right direction and President Muhammadu Buhari is giving us the leadership that we need and all that we need to do is to continue to support our leaders, continue to support our government and it’s in the best interest of everyone.

“Let no politics, let no partisanship, let no sentiments derail any of our programmes and projects because you need to have a Nigeria first if you are running to take over government at whatever level. You need to have a country, you need to have a stable country, you need to have a peaceful country in first place and if you do that, you can contest, for example. But as individuals, we have a date with a history.

“How much do we give to our nation? How much do we sacrifice for the sake of others in our communities and in our country? That determines a lot how far we can go because if we decide to be selfish, then I’m sorry, we may not make that kind of progress that we believe can take us to the Eldorado,” he said.

Related Topics:APC consensus Featured Lawan presidential ticket senators

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Politics

Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp

Published

13 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp

President Bola Tinubu’s determined push to weaken opposition ranks appears to be yielding results, with strong indications that four Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors are set to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fresh investigation has revealed that Tinubu, long on the defensive against opposition attacks, has intensified efforts to consolidate power by targeting key figures in rival parties. His moves, insiders said, triggered the current wave of high-profile defections.

While sources within the APC and the Presidency attributed the looming defections to Tinubu’s aggressive political strategy, some opposition figures have accused the President of using inducements and blackmail to lure defectors. The president’s allies, on the other hand, have argued that his leadership style has made the APC increasingly attractive.

Governors Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abba Yusuf (Kano), and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara have been named as the next big catches for the ruling party.

“It is not a rumour. It is happening; those four governors – Eno, Mbah, Yusuf and Fubara — are on their way to joining the APC,” a senior party source confirmed.

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Officials at the APC national secretariat in Abuja also corroborated the development, pointing to an aggressive recruitment drive spearheaded by the President and top party leaders.

The anticipated defections come on the heels of last Wednesday’s surprise defection by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to the APC. Their move was announced by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at the Government House in Asaba.

Meanwhile, concerns have emerged over the tactics allegedly employed to secure these defections. A senior source cited the alleged Tinubu’s secret meeting with Fubara in London as a possible example of backroom pressure. The meeting reportedly took place at Fubara’s request following his suspension and the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

A source familiar with the situation said, “It was at that meeting that we believed Fubara must have been coaxed into considering the idea of defection as part of the arrangement to return his mandate. We also have reasons to suspect that Governor Eno’s potential move to the APC is linked to his predecessor and godfather’s alleged corruption case with the EFCC.”

Regarding Kano, the source stated that Tinubu had intensified reconciliation efforts between former Governors Abdullahi Ganduje and Rabiu Kwankwaso to pave the way for Yusuf’s defection.

“In the coming days, the news of Abba Yusuf’s defection will be made public because he will officially move to the APC with his mentor. We all know Kano is too big a state for Tinubu to ignore politically,” he added.

Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp

Politics

Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient

Published

13 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Trends Admin

Peter Obi

Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient

Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has launched an online registration portal and identity cards for members of the Obidient Movement both within Nigeria and among supporters in the diaspora.

The development was announced in a joint statement on Saturday by the National Coordinator of the movement, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, and the Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure.

According to the statement, the new identity cards will feature a QR code for easy authentication and display the national flag of each holder’s country of residence.

It stated in part: “Obidient registration portal supports Nigerians and fellow Obidients living in the diaspora. You will observe that the ID has a flag on it. For example, if you’re not resident in Nigeria, the top right-hand corner will carry the flag of your country of residence.”

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Highlighting the movement’s emphasis on unity and diversity, the statement added: “That way, we can all witness first-hand the embodying of our spirit of diversity, comradery, and unity and how far-reaching the messaging Obidient Movement is. The OBX is constant on the ID card. The Diasporan and Nigerian cards, all start with the same prefix which is the OBX.”

The statement further explained the functionality of the QR code embedded in the card: “The QR code on the bottom right-hand corner is there to authenticate your card, which can be scanned with any QR scanner such as a smartphone, to give Obidients a secure and confident way of interacting with one another.”

It continued: “So if you choose to support or do business with an Obidient, you can scan the QR code or verify the OBX ID online to confirm that the person is who and what they truly say they are and are who they truly claim to be.”

Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient

Politics

Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2025

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru

Political analyst and columnist Majeed Dahiru has said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration may end in 2027.

This, he said, was dependent on how former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai successfully rallies northern political forces behind Labour Party’s Peter Obi.

Dahiru spoke during an appearance on The Morning Brief of the Channels Television, discussing recent opposition alignments and El-Rufai’s strategic relevance ahead of the next general election.

“If I may put it straight. The day El-Rufai decides and can galvanise the opinion moulders in the North to zero in on Peter Obi, for instance, as the candidate, that will be the end of the Tinubu administration,” Dahiru stated.

This came amid ongoing conversations about potential coalitions to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The situation took a new turn on Wednesday when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, alongside several PDP officials, defected to the APC.

Dahiru noted the reported resistance from PDP governors to opposition coalition efforts, attributing it to regional loyalty.

“That’s because the PDP governors’ preferred candidate for the next election is President Bola Tinubu of the APC — because of southern solidarity. The bulk of the PDP governors are from the South. One of their own is in power. They can’t work against one of their own. It’s not possible.”

He cited historical examples to underscore the role of regional interests in Nigerian politics.

“In 2003, the AD (Alliance for Democracy) didn’t field a presidential candidate because of Obasanjo. That is the nature of Nigerian politics.

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“When Yar’Adua became president in 2007, a number of ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Party) governors moved to the PDP. Two governors even married his daughters to gain a footing in the PDP. It has always been like that.”

Dahiru also addressed El-Rufai’s recent departure from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), attributing it to deeper tensions with the presidency.

“El-Rufai has a grouse against the president — a legitimate grouse — because he worked for the president. Hate him or love him, he has a basis to be angry,” he said.

“He has been working assiduously to undermine the president, particularly in the Muslim North, where he is like the caliph to Buhari. He’s the brainbox of the Muslim North.”

He hinted at a broader political strategy by El-Rufai, possibly involving an endorsement of a candidate from the South, especially the Southeast.

“Let me give him a tip: if he really wants to sit at the back of the president, what he should do — and I think they may already be on that path — is convince the Muslim North to look towards the South for a candidate. Specifically, the Southeast.

“If he’s able to do that — and I know he can; he has the capacity — to shift support to someone like Peter Obi, then that will be the end of the Tinubu administration.”