9th National Assembly: Nobody Imposed Anyone on Us, We Are Not School Boys – Adeyeye

  • Says Ndume has right as a Senator-elect to contest.
  • Says lawmakers were not forced to elect Lawan.

The lawmaker representing Ekiti South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Dayo Adeyeye, has defended Senator Ali Ndume, saying he is not a rebel but his contest for the office of the Senate President gives credibility to the emergence of Ahmed Lawan as leader of the house.

Speaking with Punch in an exclusive interview, the former publicity of the People Democratic Party (PDP) said the emergence of Senator Ahmad Lawan and Ovie Omo-Agege should not be seen as an act of imposition, either by the executive or the party.

“The senators who had earlier worked with Lawan were in the vanguard of the mobilisation process to make him the president of the 9th Senate after his bid to assume the same position in 2015 was not possible with the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki, despite the fact that he was supported by the party and the Presidency.

READ: Ahmad Lawan becomes Senate President of the 9th National Assembly

“Most of Lawan’s colleagues in the 8th Senate have tremendous respect for him because of his experience, competence, intellectual capacity and openness. They believe that he would be a good President of the Senate and they started the entire process of making him President of the Senate. They are the ones who approached the party and the Presidency to solicit support for Senator Lawan.”

While adding that the initiative was neither from the party nor the executive, Adeyeye said it was from within the Senate, among the senators themselves.

“When some of us, newcomers won our elections into the Senate and arrived in Abuja, we were contacted and we joined the vanguard. My first interaction with Senator Lawan showed he has all it takes to lead the National Assembly.

“I joined the movement for the realisation of Ahmad Lawan’s ambition. It was after support from the majority of the elected senators that the party and the Presidency gave their backing. At the level of the nation’s legislature, it is not possible for anybody to impose candidates on us. We are not schoolboys or girls that anybody could toss around. We have to be convinced on any issue and in the case of Lawan, we were convinced about his ability to provide good leadership.

READ: Omo-Agege Floors Ekweremadu to Emerge Senate Deputy President

Speaking on the role played by Ndume, who contested for the number three office against Lawan, Adeyeye said his participation in the contest gave credibility to the entire process.

“In the first instance, he has his democratic right to exercise his franchise on the floor as a duly elected senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“That should not be seen as a rebellion by anybody. Rather it should be seen as helping to deepen democracy and provide a choice to other elected senators. Since the popular choice has emerged, we should just let bygones be bygones.

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