The Nigerian National Integrity Group has urged on the President of the Nigerian Senate, Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan to run for the President of the 10th Senate.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the Spokesperson of the Group, Mr. Joseph Ode highlighted the impacts of the 9th Senate and called for continuation of Ahmed Lawan as President.
Nigeria National Integrity noted that the Nigerian polity has been heated up by the strident calls for and against the APC’s allottees to these highly strategic and overly sensitive positions in the legislative branch at the federal level.
“It is our objective and passionately patriotic opinion, however, that the very serious issue of the Leadership of the National Assembly should not be subjected to the whims and caprices of self-styled party bigwigs since these demanding positions require the right calibre of leaders and statesmen to ensure and enhance the delivery of the dividends of democracy to Nigeria’s teeming long suffering masses.
“Bearing in mind the astute and altruistic style of the current leadership of the Nigerian Senate, we hereby submit unequivocally that the current Senate Leadership should be adopted across party lines to be reelected into office in the overall national interest. This will no doubt, foster sustainability, stability and continuity in piloting the affairs of the legislative branch, a critical and vital component of the tripod in the three arms of government.”
The group also commended Senator Ahmed Lawan-led National Assembly for achieving” unprecedented” harmonious working relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of the Federal Government.
The group attributed the smooth relationship to “a manifest contradistinction and a most welcome departure from the unduly fractious and intransigent brinkmanship exhibited by several erstwhile helmsmen at the federal legislature, the worst- case scenario being the recalcitrant and anti-diluvian leadership of the 8th National Assembly.”
It dismissed the notion that the 9th Assembly is ‘rubber stamp’ for the Federal Government.
“Though the harbingers and beneficiaries of crises have maliciously and viciously dubbed the 9th Assembly a rubber stamp, ostensibly because they were denied the spoils of the counterproductive executive-legislative wars of attrition, it is however well known that, the executive and legislative amity fostered by the deft handling of the current National Assembly leadership has without a shadow of doubt, ensured the prompt and positive consideration of the numerous Bills and requests from the executive branch. The unassuming and highly accommodating leadership of the current leadership of the Senate has effectively prompted the Executive to grant their numerous requests and passage of hundreds of Bills.”
Nigeria National Integrity expressed optimism as the country looks forward to Tinubu presidency.
“With the fortuitous election of a responsive and responsible President in person of the Jagaban, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria will be best served by the CONTINUATION of the pragmatic and patriotic style of the current Senate under the Leadership of Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan, to ensure the rekindling of the renewed hope, a cornerstone of the manifesto of the President-Elect. Nigerians may recall how the PDP adopted the same principle of CONTINUITY IN LEADERSHIP with Senator David Mark Presiding over the 6th and 7th Senates.
“Though the purveyors of parochial ethnoreligious sentiments are bound to raise the red flags that the current Senate President hails from the same geopolitical zone as the vice president-elect, they should however be reminded that as recently as 2015, the Vice President, Senate President and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives were all of the same ethnic stock and the heavens did not fall. Nigeria has been the poverty capital of the world and will remain so unless and until we eschew the primordial sentiments and parochial interests that have beclouded the recruitment process especially for the highly strategic public offices, both elective and appointive.
“Thank you and God bless Nigeria.”
Recall that the APC has reportedly zoned the exalted principal offices of the National Assembly as listed Senate President (Senator Godswill Akpabio); Deputy Senate President (Senator Barau Jibrin); Speaker, House of Representatives (Hon. Abbas Tajudeen) and (Deputy Speaker House of Representatives) Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
