Ahmad Lawan, the President of the Nigerian Senate and a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has disclosed why he entered the presidential race in 2023, according to report.
He claims that a number of individuals approached him to persuade him that he could do better than President Muhammadu Buhari.
Citizens who advocated for Lawan’s candidacy were dissatisfied with the present administration, and they believe he is qualified to fill the top political position.
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According to Anaedoonline.ng, the Senate President mentioned this while campaigning in Katsina State on Thursday, May 19.
Remember that the APC scheduled its primaries on May 29, 2022, to select its presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
Lawan assaulted Governor Aminu Masari’s domain yesterday to enlist the help of APC members and the people of Katsina State in general.
In wooing delegates for his presidential candidacy, Senate President Bukola Saraki stated he is running as a Nigerian presidential candidate, not a northern one as some have suggested.
Lawan said: “I’m not running as a northern candidate. I’m running as a Nigerian Presidential aspirant and therefore I come with all my qualifications for that office and people should judge me based on what I have to offer.”
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Lawan claimed he has come with his wide expertise and skills to become Nigeria’s future leader in a statement released through his Media Adviser, Ola Awoniyi.
According to report, Lawan’s statements were stated during a meeting with members of the Katsina State House of Assembly who came to visit him, led by the Speaker of the House, Hon.Tasiu Musa Maigari.
Lawan, who was elected to the National Assembly in 1999 and is one of Nigeria’s longest-serving MPs, emphasised that he had the necessary experience and skills to place him ahead of other candidates.
He said: “We have been around for some time. Thank God, from 2019, we have been working with the President of our Party, President Muhammadu Buhari, very closely. I know and I understand most of the national issues that we deal with.
“I’m a participant in this government and I use that as one advantage that I have. Even though I’m a parliamentarian, I have some experience in governance. Real experience. Therefore, we are going round to tell Nigerians that we are available.
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“The fact that we came out last speaks volumes because I didn’t just wake up one morning and say I want to be President. It took a lot of time for those who believe in me to talk to me to also throw my hat in the ring. And after some time, I accepted.
“And that is to say that some people are not satisfied with those they are seeing and they think that we can do better. I have a great deal of respect for those who are running. The other aspirants.”
The Senate President added: “And I believe that I have my advantages and I’m going to use my advantages by the Grace of God to not only emerge as the candidate of our party but also win the general elections.
“And I’m not running like someone from the northeast, I’m running as a Nigerian because I believe that I understand the issues of development in Nigeria today.
“And as a participant in this administration, I know that this administration succeeded in some ways and has not succeeded as much in others and therefore, those areas in which we succeeded, it’s for me to continue to build on them.
“Those areas that we have found ourselves in deficit, that we have not been able to succeed as much, it’s for us to work on them.
“I am a product of this administration and my party and therefore I commit myself to the ideals of my party.
“I commit myself to the ideals of this administration because it takes every effort by everyone to bring development. Mr President will be finishing his term in 2023 as we all know but his ideals are there and his ideals are to develop our country,” Lawan said.
The lawmaker recalled that it will be 23 years on the 4th of June this year that he has been in the National Assembly.
With these experiences, the politician believes he is a better candidate than any other, Naija News reports.
Convincing Governor Masari and other delegates, Lawan said: “I have worked with people like you (Governor Masari) and today, I’m working with our President, President Muhammadu Buhari who is leading the APC administration.
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“For me, this is an experience that I cherish. This is an experience that makes me think that I have the capacity, that I have the ability, that I have the training, that I have the audacity and the courage to stay in that office in Abuja, in the Villa, to lead the affairs of this country with people like you around me.
“It is not abnormal that a Senator can be a President. In the US, even the current President (Joe Biden) was in the Senate. Former President Obama was in the Senate and therefore I believe that coming from the Legislature, with some experience from the Executive because I have been working very closely with the President, I have the requisite experience to lead the affairs of this country,” Lawan said.
In his remark, Governor Masari commended Lawan for his visit to the state. He described him as a reliable person.
Masari said, “When he called me, I told him he should have gone to other places because whatever is possible, whatever we can do for him, we will do it.”
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The President of the Senate was accompanied by the former Governor of Abia State and the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, Senator Bello Mandiya and former Senator Tafida Umar.
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