2023: Senators Divided Over Moves To Pick Lawan As Consensus Presidential Candidate

There is a crack in the Senate caucus of the All Progressives Congress over the alleged move to endorse the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate of the parliament.

Some lawmakers had earlier expressed their support for other presidential aspirants in the party ahead of the 2023 race.

For instance, the lawmaker representing Borno South in the Senate, Ali Ndume is leading the campaign for Rotimi Amaechi, and the lawmaker representing Borno Central senatorial district, Kassim  Shettima, is playing a key role in Bola Tinubu’s campaign.

While, the lawmaker representing Kano South, Kabiru Gaya is in charge of the campaigns of the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo.

Aside from the names listed above, other senators have presidential aspirants they are supporting.

Ndume in an interview with Daily Trust said Lawan’s camp had not reached out to him, saying “They have not come because they know my position.

“I have nothing against Ahmad Lawan; he is my colleague but I have everything against injustice. I won’t support even my biological brother. Fielding a northerner is tantamount to injustice and tantamount to a third term. The so-called northern elders that are pushing it are doing so to perpetuate injustice.

“It’s the turn of the South and we have to support them to actualise this. I’m disappointed with those that are pushing this. I had since taken position even before my alignment with Amaechi.”

Another lawmaker said Lawan is not under pressure to join the race but has a personal agenda.

The lawmaker said, “The brainchild of Lawan and his few allies.

“It is untrue that he is being pushed by northern elders. He is pushing himself; otherwise, tell them to mention the northern elders. Who are they?

“It is purely his aspiration and nobody is pushing him, rather he is pushing people to key into the project. They are planning to present him as the Senate consensus candidate and we are going to outrightly and publicly resist being railroaded into this failed project.”

A lawmaker in Lawan’s camp claimed that the Senate President is being pressured to join the 2023 race by northern elders.

The lawmaker when asked to mention the names of the northern elders pressurizing Lawan to contest said, “It is not for public consumption. I’m one of them. Am I not an elder at over 70 and I have been in politics for over four decades?”

Another lawmaker in the Senate president’s camp said, “Lawan is one of us and we will do all possible within our reach to support him. He is one of us.”

This article was originally published on Nigeria News