Saraki"s Men Challenge Lawan to Name Supporters

As the race for Senate Presidency gathers steam, senators under the aegis of “Senators of Like Minds” supporting Bukola Saraki for the Senate Presidency on Friday challenged the Unity Forum senators supporting Ahmed Lawan to publish the list of his supporters as Saraki had done.

Bukola Saraki

This is coming ahead of this Saturday’s make or mar consultative meeting between the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its members-elect of the National Assembly, aimed at picking consensus candidates.

The “Senators of Like Minds” warned that any imposition of leadership in the Senate would lead to ‘Banana Peel’, an euphemism for impeachment and crisis in the senate.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be maintaining his neutral stand on who emerges as the President of the Senate, stating clearly that he had no preferred candidate and was prepared to work with anyone who eventually emerges.

APC has been finding it difficult to pick consensus candidates at the Senate and House of Representatives levels. Series of meetings held to resolve the impasse have so far failed.

However, in a statement signed by the spokesmen of the group, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Ahmadu Sani Yerima, the Senators of Like Minds said: “In view of the controversy on the number of the senators supporting Saraki and Lawan for the senate presidency of the 8th senate, we challenge them in the same manner to publicly exhibit the names and signatories they claim are supporting Lawan.  We equally urged them to consolidate it further by submitting the names of the senators that have passed a resolution endorsing Lawan as the next senate president as we,  the Senators of Like Minds did when we submitted the names and signatures of the 34 senators endorsing Saraki on May 24, 2015 as the next Senate President.

“Recall that on Tuesday this week, they promised to release to the public and indeed the Press Corp of the National Assembly the names and signatures of 40 senators purportedly supporting Lawan and Akume, but as at today, the number has changed to 35 and yet they cannot explain to the public the reason for the delay and change of numbers from 40 to 35

“We challenge them to publicly do same by publishing the list and forward same to the National chairman of our great party, Chief John Odigie Oyegun. As democracy continues to be game of numbers, Saraki is the President of the 8th Senate.

“On two occasions, APC as the ruling political party called for due internal democracy through primary elections. On the same two occasions, they have evaded these primary elections to determine the Senate President of the 8th senate.

“Their latest presentation to our National Chairman, that ranking should be a criteria for the selection of the next Senate President is fool hardy to suggest because if Lawan is the most ranking Senator, where then was he when George Akume was selected the minority leader of the senate..

“If ranking is the way to go, it should be across party line as Senator David Mark is the most ranking senator so far among the senators of the 8th senate. The inconsistence that they have displayed, only suggest to the fact that they do not have the numbers as they claim.

“Recall also that Senator Ken Nnamani became the senate president, despite the fact that he was not a ranking senator. Ditto, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and others. Akume when he contested David Mark  (Sixth Senate) in 2007  was not a ranking senator when he became the senate minority leader.”

The “Senators of Like Minds” warned of the dire consequences of imposition on the senate: “Senators must be allowed to choose their own leaders as impositions will only bring the ‘Banana Peel’ back to the Senate. We should adhere to the rules of the senate in choosing the next senate president.  In so doing, experience, acceptability and merit should be of prime importance.

“Imposition, harassment, intimidation and name dropping as well as threat will not produce the Senate President of the 8th senate.

We preach change, we must act change. Our resolve is total and our commitment is unshaken.”

In a recent statement he issued through his Spokesman, Buhari described as false, insinuations in the media that he was in support of any particular Senator or that he belonged to any camp pushing for the emergence of a leader from a particular part of the country.

“I am prepared to work with any leaders that the House or Senate selects. It doesn’t matter who the person is or where he or she is from. The insinuations were probably born out of people’s expectations based on the way things had happened in the past.

There is due process for the selection of leaders of the National Assembly and I will not interfere in that process,” Buhari said.

Saraki"s Men Challenge Lawan to Name Supporters