L-R Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, Alhaji Bashir Machina
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Senate President, Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan’s ambition to return to the Senate in 2023 has been met with stiff resistance after failing to secure a presidential ticket.
Lawan had arranged for the Yobe North Senatorial ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which one Alhaji Bashir Machina was asked to hold in trust and to be handed over to him, if he fails to secure the presidential ticket for 2023, but in a dramatic twist, Bashir Machina, refused to step down for him.
Lawan who’s presidential ambition was vehemently resisted by northern governors after he was declared 2023 consensus candidate of the APC has reported the development to the presidency and the party hierarchy to prevail on Bashir Machina to surrender his ticket to him.
Lawan is currently representing Yobe North Senatorial district and is the President of the ninth Senate.
But before he reported the matter, Lawan’s associates have prevailed on Bashir Machina to step down proved abortive as he insisted that he will not Withdraw from the race.
Despite that issuance of INEC form for all political offices have closed, Lawan was said to have been issued INEC form secretly by the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission which he filled and submitted.
The Senatorial primary election of the APC in Yobe took place took place in Gashua town on May 28 which Alhaji Bashir Machina won having scored 289 and he was declared as candidate.
A source said, an APC official who is the Vice Chairman of North East, Mustapha Salihu, was the one aiding Senator Ahmad Lawan to grab the Yobe North Senatorial ticket which is already in the kitty of Alhaji Bashir Machina, an accusation he denied, saying:
“I don’t interfere with local party arrangement in states. Yobe has its own unique way of primaries, which is a general consensus.
“All aspirants who obtained the party’s nomination forms nationwide have filled the withdrawal forms, which is a clear consent to withdraw in case of any superior interest, and with the consent of the party stakeholders in the state.
“I’m aware that it is a national party policy for aspirants who lost the presidential ticket to return to their seats in the Senate.”
