Nathaniel Zaccheaus
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, may next week, declare his intention to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2023 as President of Nigeria.
Indications of this emerge on Thursday with some senators making moves to contribute money for his nomination and expression of interest forms.
Some of the federal lawmakers in the red chamber who spoke with our correspondent on conditions of anonymity said Lawan had the right to contest the presidential election next year.
One of them from the North-East geopolitical zone said since the All Progressives Congress had not zoned its presidency to any part of the country, having somebody in the caliber of the Senate President from the zone, may not be out of place.
He said, “The Peoples Democratic Party realized the fact that the North-East geopolitical zone had not produced a President since 1999. So, this is our opportunity to produce one.”
The Media Office of the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, however, confirmed in a statement on Thursday in Abuja that Lawan is actually in the race for the 2023 presidential election.
The statement explained that two businessmen from Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, the hometown of Kalu, had already issued an aanN100m cheque for the Senate President.
It also added that the businessmen had also raised another N100m for the presidential aspiration of Kalu.
The cheques were meant to purchase their nomination and expression of interest forms for the 2023 presidential election.
Both Lawan and Kalu are according to the statement, planning to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the APC.
This happened barely 24 hours after the national leadership of the ruling APC announced the costs of its nomination and expression of interest forms.
The party’s National Executive Committee had at its last sitting in Abuja, fixed the amount for the presidential aspirants at N100m.
The businessmen, Ukaegbu James, Nnanna Kalu, the statement added, announced on Wednesday evening in Abuja,
The statement, issued on Thursday, explained that both Lawan and Kalu are competent leaders to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
2022 Hajj fare will be high, NAHCON tells intending pilgrims
The businessmen, according to the statement, noted that APC needed a unifier and committed leader with a good knowledge of Nigeria to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
Part of the statement read, “If we must get it right in 2023, we need reprinted leaders like Kalu and Lawan to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is time to present our best hands because they won’t be any room for the writing of fake results.
“We are ready to make N200 million available by the weekend to purchase their nomination forms. We are convinced by their track record, managerial skills, experience, and leadership acumen.”
Attempts to speak with both the Senate President and his media aide, Ola Awoniyi, on the matter, failed on Thursday.
Minister of Defence condoles with NAF over death of two pilots
Neither Lawan nor Awoniyi picked the cup all put across by our correspondent on Thursday.
None of them also replied to the texts message sent to them as of the time of filing this report.
