10th N/Assembly: Lawan Keeps Mum On Contesting For Senate Presidency Race

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has refused to speak on his involvement in the Senate presidency race in the 10th National Assembly.

He made this known on Friday while speaking to State House Correspondents on the sidelines of the Sallah homage by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) residents to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

This is as the tussle for the leadership positions of the incoming 10th National Assembly heats up with a lot of alliances being formed across party lines.

When asked about his Senate Presidency ambition, Lawan said he was not at the State House to discuss whether he wants to return as the leader of the Red Chamber and Chairman of the National Assembly

He stated: “I’m not here to answer whether I’m running for senate president or not.”

Vote Against Gender Bills

Speaking further, Lawan expressed sadness that members of the National Assembly voted against gender bills that sought to promote more opportunities for women in politics and governance.

He, however, advocated alternative strategies to engage with the legislature, urging newly-elected and returning lawmakers to push for the passage of the pro-women bills in the 10th Assembly.

He said “I felt bad we could not pass even one. But then, we shouldn’t lose hope; we should continue to campaign and talk to more members of the National Assembly and we should also re-strategise.”

Lawan said he did not regret his actions as the Senate President even though he acknowledged lapses in his performance.

He added, “I can’t say we have regrets. We can only say there are things we have been unable to deal with satisfactorily. And this is natural because we don’t have sufficient funds.

“Two, as human beings, there are areas that naturally, whatever you do, you may not get right, but it’s for us to identify those areas, go back and rework them. The APC administration will continue to work on those areas that we need to improve on.”