- Senator Ahmed Lawan has been reportedly endorsed by 37 PDP senators
- The Senate presidential candidate had already secured the support of not less than 62 APC senators including a YPP senator
- With the PDP senators' endorsement, the number of senators supporting Lawan now stand at 99 including Lawan himself
Senator Ahmed Lawan, the anointed candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Senate presidency of the incoming 9th Senate, may be set for a landslide victory as 37 senators-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also reportedly endorsed him for the office.
About 62 senators-elect on the platform of the APC on Saturday, June 8, endorsed Lawan.
With the endorsement by the PDP lawmakers, Lawan is now on the clear lead with about 99 senators on his side, according to Leadership newspaper.
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This leaves his only rival in the race, Senator Ali Ndume, with 10 supporters, including himself in the 109-member Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.
The 9th National Assembly will be inaugurated Tuesday, June 11, in Abuja.
Senators Lawan, Ndume and Senator Danjuma Goje, all from the northeast zone were vying for the office of the Senate president and the chairman of the National Assembly until last week when Goje stepped down and openly endorsed Lawan.
To ensure his victory at tomorrow’s election of the NASS leadership, Lawan yesterday met with PDP senators-elect where 37 of them threw their weight behind him.
The meeting, according to Leadership newspaper, was held at the residence of the immediate past deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu in Abuja.
Prominent among the PDP lawmakers who attended the parley were Senators Eyinnaya Abaribe, Emmanuel Bwacha, Dino Melaye, Theordore Orji, Philip Aduda, and James Manager.
The spokesman of the Senator Ahmed Lawan Campaign Organisation, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, told journalists that the endorsement of the former Senate leader was part of the desire of the PDP lawmakers to serve Nigerians.
According to him, the ninth Senate “is poised to deliver to the expectations of Nigerians, without taking them for granted.”
He added that come tomorrow, Lawan would emerge unopposed as the Senate president.
Another lawmaker who was present at the meeting but asked not to be named said that the decision by PDP senators-elect to support Lawan stemmed from the “urgent need to bring stability to the National Assembly.”
According to him, a total of 99 Senators have agreed to vote for Lawan tomorrow as the Senate president of the 9th National Assembly.
He said: “So far, 37 PDP senators-elect have agreed to support Lawan. If you take that number in addition to the 62 from APC, that gives you 99. What that tells you is that he will emerge unopposed on June 11, 2019, which is the day of the inauguration of the 9th Assembly.
“The number is a clear message that the senators-elect believe in Lawan’s ability and competence to handle the affairs of the incoming National Assembly.
“This time around, we believe this collective decision by APC, PDP and YPP senators-elect is an indicator that the welfare of Nigerians comes first. It also tells you that we are prepared to serve Nigerians differently this time around."
For the office of the deputy Senate president which will also be contested on the floor of the Senate, none of the aspirants has been reportedly endorsed for the position.
The five contenders are still allegedly working hard and reaching out to their colleagues for their votes.
The contestants are Senators Francis Alimikhena from Edo state, Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta), and Robert Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo).
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that some senators-elect from the PDP and Young Progressive Party (YPP), on Friday, June 7, attended Sen Lawan’s launch of his 9th Senate presidency’s agenda, declaring their full support for his candidacy.
The opposition parties’ senators-elect at the occasion include Clifford Odia (PDP-Edo), Mathew Urhoghide (PDP-Edo) and Gershom Bassey (PDP-Cross River).
Others are Abba Morro (PDP-Benue), Lawali Anka (PDP-Zamfara) and Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP-Anambra).
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