Senate President Lawan, Governor Ayade, Minister Sylva pick APC presidential forms

President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, on Monday, joined presidential aspirants under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as his associates picked the expression of interest and nomination forms for him.

Similarly, some supporters have presented the APC presidential forms to Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade, and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.

 

Lawan becomes the 24th aspirant to pick the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms ahead of the party’s primary election.

His group of friends led by Chief Sam Nkire, a member of the National Caucus of APC and 15 other senators obtained the APC presidential nomination forms for the Senate President at the International Conference Centre venue of the sale of forms to APC aspirants.

Nkire said, “We are here; you can see beside and behind me senators and senior members, businessmen and politicians who are members of the APC and some other Nigerians who want a new president. The new president they want is Ahmad Lawan, the current president of the Senate of Nigeria.”

On why they want the current Senate President to be the president, he said, “We want him to be president because of national stability. The president that we are bringing for the Nigerian people is a Nigerian president, not an Igbo president, not a Fulani president, not a Yoruba president.”

Asked if he has heeded the call to serve in the capacity, he said, “We are not here on our own; we have his backing. Even though friends and brothers contributed to purchase this form for him, he has given us the go-ahead.”

On whether the party’s zoning arrangement is no longer standing, he said: “Let me tell you, you’re a journalist, not a politician. Every politician is in politics to win. It is the PDP that is driving us to do this. We have to say so. But we don’t want the PDP to take the government from us. If you give the position to a southerner and the PDP gives to a northerner, the APC will go into the wilderness and we are not ready to go into the wilderness.”