Lawan rules out crisis in APC over 9th NASS leadership

Leader of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, has ruled out the possibility of crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the leadership of the 9th National Assembly.

Lawan made the remark in an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja.

He said the APC leadership must have learnt lessons from the mismanagement of the party’s majority in the outgoing 8th Assembly, and would do things differently this time around.

APC will remain the majority party in the 9th Assembly, having secured 65 out of 109 senatorial seats so far, and 221 out of 360 in the House of Representatives, during the Feb. 23 general elections.

In June, 2015, Sen. Bukola Saraki of the then APC emerged President of the Senate against the will of the leadership of the party, which preferred Lawan.

To make matters worse for the ruling party, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu of the minority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged Deputy President of the Senate.

A similar scenario played out in the House of Representatives where Mr Yakubu Dogara defied the APC’s wish (Mr Femi Gbajabiamila) to become Speaker.

Joined by 10 other senators-elect at the forum on Friday, Lawan said “we are not in any way thinking that we will have crises; it is not what we are envisaging at all’’.

“But let me say that our party, the APC, must have learnt its lessons, and therefore, the party leadership will do something differently this time.

“I am sure our leaders will try to manage this huge success of the APC.

“And I have no doubt the party will find us compliant and very supportive of its programmes and those of the administration under President Muhammadu Buhari,’’ he said.

Lawan, who again, is seeking the Office of the President of the Senate, said as a “loyal party man’’, he would respect the decision of the party’s leadership even if it did not favour him.

The lawmaker, who represents Yobe North, said he was currently reaching out to other senators-elect to convince them that “we are the right people to lead the Senate and the National Assembly”.

To this end, he solicited the support of the media and “our colleagues for our vision of a focused, robust and united 9th Assembly’’.