Ahead of the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly and election of Presiding officers, youths, under the aegis of Progressives Youth Forum, Tuesday, endorsed the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, All Progressives Congress, APC, Yobe North as the next Senate President.
The adoption of Senator Lawan as the Senate President for the 9th Senate by the youths, is coming, barely 24 hours after Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State threw his weight behind the aspiration of the Senate leader for the position.
Speaking on behalf of the youths Tuesday, at Lawan’s Campaign Headquarters in Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, the Chairman, Ife Adebayo said “As far as the presidency of the 9th Senate is concerned, Senator Lawan is the round peg that can perfectly fit into the round hole going by his track record of performance in the Parliament within the last twenty years.”
According to him, aside parliamentary experience that cannot be matched by any other contender for the position, Senator Lawan also stands out in intellectual capacity, being a Ph’D holder in Remote Sensing.
He said, “We identify with your highly welcome aspiration and appeal to all Senators – elect across party lines to rally round you for development-driven leadership of the 9th Senate and by extension, 9th National Assembly devoid of unnecessary rancour with the executive.”
Responding, Senator Lawan, who was flanked by some Senators-elect the Youths for their support, just as he promised not to let them and other Nigerians down, if he eventually emerged as President of the 9th Senate.
Lawan who disabused the minds of those insinuating that Senate under him as President, would be a rubber stamp one, said, “Separation of powers among the three arms of government is all about specialisation of functions and not acrimonious competition or rivalry in governance.
“If as President of the 9th Senate, leading the Senate and by extension, the National Assembly in constructive engagements with other arms of government particularly the executive, for beneficial and practical delivery of dividends of democracy to the Nigerian masses is what is called rubber stamp, so be it .”
