I won’t preside over a rubber-stamp Senate, says Ahmad Lawan
- Senator Ahmad Lawan has said that he will not allow the Senate to become a rubber stamp of the executive if he emerges Senate president
- Lawan said those that have the notion that he would allow the Senate to be a rubber stamp of the executive did not really know who he is and what he stood for
- Senator Lawan made the comment while playing host to the leadership of the APC Youth Forum
Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan, has dismissed insinuations in some quarters the Senate will become a rubber-stamp body to President Muhammadu Buhari if he emerges the Senate president in the incoming 9th National Assembly.
Lawan, who spoke on Tuesday, April 16 in Abuja while playing host to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress Youth Forum, said the principle of separation of powers does not necessarily entail adversarial relationship among the three arms of government.
Rather, he said the principle demands healthy working relationship between the legislature and other arms, particularly the executive arm.
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According to him, the adversarial relationship between the 8th Senate and the executive arm denied Nigerians of the needed development and progress.
He, however, pledged to mobilise his colleagues to ensure the success of the APC manifesto and the actualisation of President Buhari’s good intention for the country.
His words: “My campaign is based on a slogan of leading a Senate and National Assembly that will work for Nigeria.
“We are not going for the Senate presidency because of name but to make serious and positive difference in the governance of the country.
“We will work with Mr. President and his administration to fulfill all his campaign promises that he promised Nigerians in 2015 and 2019, which are the same.”
Promising to lead an all- inclusive Senate will carry every senator along, regardless of party affiliation, the Senate Leader said he will extend a hand of fellowship to every senator across party lines, both returning and new ones.
Meanwhile, two former Presidents of the Senate and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives have backed the aspiration of Senator Ahmad Lawan to be the next Senate president.
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Some former governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also declared support for the Senate Majority Leader's ambition. The former leaders (names withheld) were said to be backing Lawan based on principles and the “need for a more robust legislature.”
A few of the ex-governors hinged their support on “personal relationship they have had with Lawan irrespective of the position of their party,” even as they rated Lawan as, “a lawmaker with enormous legislative experience.”
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