APC Yobe North senatorial seat candidate Bashir Sheriff Machina is not backing down for presidential race loser and Sen. President Ahmed Lawan who wants to have the best of both worlds.
Lawan lost the bid to become president when APC national leader Bola Tinubu thrashed him and 11 others in the party primary.
Meanwhile, Machina has clichéd the senate ticket for Lawan senatorial district.
And he told the Daily Trust he worked for it, so nobody will take it from him.
“As far as I’m concerned, I contested for the Yobe North senatorial ticket and I won the election. I was confirmed elected because there were other contestants but I was the one that was qualified. I happened to be unopposed.
“I am still the candidate; I have not withdrawn and I will not withdraw for anybody. I am being approached by some persons but I will not withdraw, Insha Allah,” he said.
Lawan was pushed to contest against his ally Tinubu by the Aso Rock cabal and party chairman Abdullahi Adamu.
Their attempt to railroad President Muhammadu Buhari into forcing him on the party as consensus failed thanks to the northern governors’ opposition.
Other presidential aspirants within the APC hedged their bets before jumping in the race. It was easy for them to fall back on their senate tickets after they flunked the primary election.
The cabal must have convinced Lawan, on of the longest serving NASS holdovers, there was no point doing that since Buhari had his back.