The senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have shown their opposition to the plans by the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to impose Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan, as the 9th National Assembly Senate president.
In a statement released on Tuesday, March 26, the PDP senators also warned APC to leave Bukola Saraki out of its plan to produce the Senate president, Daily Independent reports.
The statement was signed by Senator Dino Melaye and minority leader, Biodun Olujimi.
The statement read: “Let it be known that no matter the mischief being sponsored by these spineless people, Saraki knows that it is the duty of all senators in the ninth Senate to elect their Senate president and other leaders.
“Nobody from outside the Senate has such powers. It is also the right of every senator to aspire to that position as stated by the constitution.
“He has benefitted from this practice of senators within the chambers exercising the right. He is conscious of this fact and will not be a party to any plan to seize or interfere with the process of evolving the leadership of the ninth Senate.
“We, therefore, urge the APC gladiators and their handlers to leave Saraki out of their schemes and manipulations.”
The PDP lawmakers, however, admonished the APC to start working on how the inauguration of the senators-elect would be done under a conducive atmosphere without acrimony.
“They should go and concentrate on how to convince the Senators-elect and ensuring that the election of the next Senate President takes place in a conducive atmosphere with a view to strengthening the institution and making it perform its constitutional roles, without any hindrance.”
