- Northwest senators endorsed him.
- He's already backed by David mark, other Pdp senators.
- Apc leadership zoned the position to northeast.
-Tinubu told Akume to shelve his ambition and support him.
- Chunk of Southwest senators endorses him.

Thisday, by Chuks Akunna : http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/senate-presidency-north-west-caucus-adopts-lawan/208210/#.VUMT-mIF4C8.facebook 01 may 2015


The North-west caucus of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the
Senate on Thursday adopted Senator Ahmad Lawan as its candidate for the position of senate president.

The caucus of the North-west, which is the only zone with seven states, is the largest political bloc in the senate with 21 out of the 109-member senate.

Of the 21 seats, only senator-elect, Danjuma La’ah, representing
Kaduna South senatorial district was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

THISDAY gathered that the meeting of the caucus held for over three hours early Thursday at the Kaduna Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, under the chairmanship of Senator Abu
Ibrahim.

Sources close to the meeting said the caucus “carefully considered the candidacy of contenders for the Senate
presidency of the 8th Senate and after a critical analysis, unanimously settled for Senator Lawan, Chairman of the
present Senate Committee on Public Accounts.”

Senator Ibrahim is from Katsina, home state of president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and doubles as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications.

Chairman, Committee on States and Local Governments, Kano State-born Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Senator-elect, Adamu Aliero, served as alternate chairmen. Aliero served as
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

THISDAY gathered that 17 of the 20 APC senators from the North-west zone endorsed Lawan for the senate presidency.

Kano State Governor and senator-elect, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, and former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator
Sani Yerima, were reportedly absent at the meeting but reportedly sent messages of support for Lawan. A source at the meeting blamed Yerima’s absence on the death of the senator’s elder sister last Wednesday.

A senator at the meeting told THISDAY that the North-west caucus was most comfortable with the Lawan’s candidacy. He added: “Besides, he has promised to render total support for
the agenda of change of the APC which the North west has always championed.

“The caucus also impressed it on Lawan to support the anti-corruption agenda of Buhari of which he promised to do.”
He continued: “You know that out of 109 senators, Lawan needs just 55 votes to clinch the senate presidency. With my caucus (North-west) already guaranteeing him one-third of the
required number, it would be easy ride for him.

“If you add the endorsement he got early in the week from the South-west APC caucus in the senate to what we gave him today (yesterday) it may have nailed the coffin of any aspirant for the
position of senate president.”

Punch, by Eniola Akinkuotu : http://www.punchng.com/news/akume-tinubu-meet-in-lagos-over-senate-presidency/ 30 April 2015


One of the top contenders for the Senate presidency, Senator George Akume, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday met at the Lagos
home of Tinubu.

Our correspondent learnt that at the meeting which took place around 3pm, Tinubu told Akume to shelve his ambition and support Senator Ahmed Lawan, who represents Yobe-North
senatorial district in the 8th Senate.

The battle for the Senate presidency was between the North- East and the North-Central. Akume, who is currently the Senate Minority Leader, represents Benue-North senatorial district in the Senate.

Senator Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara-Central senatorial district in the North-Central geopolitical zone, had also openly expressed his intention to contest the number three seat in the
country. However, it was learnt that the leadership of the APC finally decided to zone the Senate presidency to the North-East following ‘fresh developments’.

A reliable source in the APC told our correspondent that Lawan had already been backed by the current Senate President, David Mark, and other members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He said, “Tinubu explained to Akume that Lawan and Senator Mark are very close and already, some members of the PDP support him. Lawan has a good track record in the Senate and
has been backed by almost all the senators in the North-East who feel the zone has been seriously marginalised.

“The catch there is that if the APC members in the Senate do not
support Lawan and he wins the Senate presidency with bloc votes from the PDP and his friends in the North-East, he will be loyal to the PDP and may sideline us just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, attributed his victory to the APC back in 2011 even though he was a member
of the PDP.

“Mark will definitely do everything possible to ensure that Akume does not emerge Senate President if we pick Akume because they are not on good terms. Tinubu told Akume that he
sacrificed his presidential ambition for the sake of the party.

“Tinubu, therefore, urged Akume to settle for the Deputy Senate
presidency or Senate Majority Leader.”

The 8th Senate will have 60 APC members while the PDP will have 48. The number of senators in the North-East is 18.

The source said Akume was also asked to step down because the North-Central, where he hails from, had been holding the Senate presidency since 2007 while the North-East had never
presided over the upper chamber of the National Assembly since independence.

He added that giving the North-East the seat would also be a way of rewarding them for giving the APC the second highest number of votes during the presidential election.

He said, “The current Senate president is from Benue State and has been in charge for eight years. Would it be fair to also handover the Senate presidency to another person from Benue?

“The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, got more than 2.5 million votes from the North-East and this should be rewarded.”

It was learnt that Lawan, who just won a third term in office, had already been accepted by those close to the President-elect because he was among those who led Buhari’s presidential
campaign in the then All Nigeria Peoples Party in 2007 in Yobe State.

The source told our correspondent that a committee comprising Tinubu’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Senator
Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Senator Ajayi Boroffice had been set up to meet with the aggrieved parties.

Facebook, from Northeasterner Habu M. Kaku. : https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=833003623420792&id=100001334870197&refid=17&_ft_=top_level_post_id.833003623420792

Except for Late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa ( Prime Minister ) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar Turakin Adamawa from North East, our geopolitical zone has never been accorded the privilege of holding any political office as President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives since 1960 independence.

While we do not rule out the fact that the supremacy of the will of the people in any democratic setting, we also wish to acknowledge the need for fairness, equity, justice D equal representation at all levels of government.

We are of great faith that our leaders will use this opportunity to accord North East the opportunity to get fair share of democracy and representation in the leadership position of this country.

Giving the slot to a geopolitical zone that has occupied the office of the Senate President for 11 years at various times at the detriment of others should be reviewed.

We need to learn from the factors that derailed the now opposition party, by standing for the truth and justice. APC cannot afford to let Nigerians down at such a time when Nigerians breath
sigh of relief from 16 years of political bondage. Giving every region the right share of the political office will go a long way to bind us together.

We solicit for prayers of all the good people of Nigeria for our representative, Senator Dr. Ahmad I. Lawan whom we believe has the potential, legislative experience, educational and requisite
virtues to lead the Senate.

He is a nationalist and accommodating and has outstanding quality to do the job. His indelible records in the national assignments given to him by the leadership of the outgoing Senate stand out and speaks volume of an uncompromised political office holder.

His debate in the floor of both Senate (2007till date) and House of Representatives (1999-2007) were not based on sentiment because of his believe in the unity of Nigeria and Nigerians as a whole.

We support his candidacy and urge the leadership and members of APC to give him and North East the opportunity at a time like this.

Long live APC, long live Nigeria, long live live Nigerians!

Wetin consign me??

Op en go sabi de work like oga davo..

Mutuwa:
Op en go sabi de work like oga davo..

Will search and upload his profile soon.

Meanwhile, he's capable and has headed many reps and senate committees before and has been there since 1999. Another plus is he's one hell of an orator.