The race for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly has toughened as the outgoing Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has commenced a plot to retain his position.
OsunDaily News recalls that Lawan ran for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and lost.
He would later run for Senate after a hard-fought legal battle to get the senatorial ticket.
According to Vanguard, Lawan has decided to disrupt the system to relaunch himself for the nation’s number three seat.
With his entry, the Senate now has three groups of 6 lawmakers in pairs to slug it out.
The two other groups outside Lawan are the Senators Godswill Akpabio/ Jubrin Barau ticket and Senators Orji Uzor Kalu/Abdulaziz Yari ticket.
A reliable source from the national assembly has disclosed that the Senator representing Yobe North has already set up a camp for the race.
The source said that Lawan is pairing up with Senator Osita Isunaso from Imo West senatorial zone of Imo State to actualize his ambition and equally working with other senators and stakeholders.
Some of the stakeholders included Senator Ifeanyi Ubah from Anambra State, Senator Sani Musa from Niger State, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and Chief Emeka Offor.
The stakeholders were reportedly locked up in a nocturnal meeting that ended early Monday morning, where an appreciable milestone on the deal was reached.
The source pointed out that Lawan’s ambition drove him to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday to welcome the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his return to the country.
The source said: “I can tell you for a fact that the Senate President is running. He has chosen to pair up with Senator Osita Isunaso from Imo State to realize his ambition. Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Senator Sani Musa, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and Chief Emeka Offor are all in his camp to help him actualize the objective.”
However, it was learnt that Lawan can barely gather 15 signatures to square up with Akpabio/Barau ticket, which has about 39 members, despite his endorsement by the APC.
