Ahead of the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly and election of presiding officers, the Senate Caucus of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunday, denied insinuations that the Deputy Senate President position was being offered members of the party in the Senate.
According to PDP senators, no meeting was held to cede the Deputy Senate President’s position to the party.
Speaking with Vanguard Sunday, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), spokesperson of the Senate Caucus of PDP, said the caucus was together and would work in unison.
Abaribe said nothing was wrong with the PDP senators supporting some of the aspirants to the position of Senate President individually, adding that the party cannot stop them since they have the right to do so.
He said: “Lawan said he was expecting other PDP senators to endorse him after Nwaoboshi. He has the right to be talking with some people. What I know is that we have not taken any decision at the caucus level on what to do.
”PDP is still together; we are not going anywhere, we will work together. One or two members may have have taken a decision to support different aspirants, they have the right, this is democracy. We have all agreed that we are not going anywhere, we have not met with any aspirant for offer of the position of Deputy Senate President.
“Whoever that is doing or saying anything is expressing his personal rights. It should not be taken to be the position of the party and we cannot stop anybody from exercising their freedom.”
Recall that the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP, Delta North, had on Friday thrown his weight behind the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North for the Senate Presidency.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Senator Nwaoboshi had openly declared his support for Senator Lawan, saying he took the decision since the party, the PDP, has no candidate for the position.
Also recall that Senate leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, had on Saturday said that as part of moves to actualize his aspiration for the position of Senate President, he will meet with the Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, next week.
According to Lawan, the campaign team will within the next couple of days, hold further engagements with the PDP caucus, with a view to reaching an understanding with them.
Speaking specifically about Senator Peter Nwoboshi’s endorsement, the Senate leader, who described it as a move borne out of a patriotic heart, said: “Nigerians don’t care about what platform you represent in the Senate. What they care about will be what the 9th Senate is able to do to better their lives, what Nigerians care for is an improvement in the security of their lives and property.
“What Nigerians care for is how the economy will be improved and revatilsied, so that it is an all inclusive economy that will work for those at the lowest level of the ladder and those at the highest level, those who will create the business and those who need to be employed.”
Lawan said he had, at various times as a member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, had cause to support and campaign for Aminu Masari to become speaker of the House of Representatives and Senator David Mark for Senate President without prejudice to the fact that both them were members of the PDP.
Noting that he campaigned for them at the time because he saw in them leadership qualities which were needed to move the National Assembly and the nation forward, Lawan said: “In 2007, when I came to the Senate, I campaigned for Senator David Mark, even though I was not in the PDP because I saw him as a distinguished man that will give us the kind of leadership we needed at that time.”
