Senate President, Lawan speaks on joining 2023 presidential race

Ahmad Lawan, President of the 9th Senate, has reacted to reports that he is nursing the political ambition of joining the next presidential race expected to hold in 2023.

A national daily and an online news portal had yesterday reported that the top lawmaker was eyeing the top position in the country. Quoting party sources, the report said Lawan nominated members of the present national leadership of his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) whose tenure are temporary.

But in his reaction, Mr Lawan said the reports are the products of beer parlour gossips, asking it be discarded.

“It is easy to see that the report emanated from the sort of practice that drags the noble profession of journalism to the gutters as it only dresses up the lazy fantasy of its unimaginative authors as a fact,” a Saturday statement authored by Ola Awoniyi, the special adviser to the Senate President, read.

“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.

“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.

“We will like to stress that the Senate President’s preoccupation is with advancing the agenda of the Ninth National Assembly to focus governance on the pursuit of the best interests of the Nigerian people and to support President Buhari in delivering his promises to Nigerians.

“The Senate President does not suffer such needless distractions as imputed by the false report under reference. He believes that it is premature for anybody to be talking now about 2023 when all hands should be on deck against the myriad of challenges that faces our nation. We advise the idle pseudo-journalists to look for other engagements and stop bastardising this noble profession,” the statement added.