A select group of incoming senators bent on seeing their colleague, Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President, on Sunday, insisted that the Kwara federal lawmaker will run for the position on the floor of the Senate today.
The group, in a statement by two members, Dino Melaye and Ahmed Rufai-Sani, argued that the All Progressives Congress primary election that produced Senator Ahmad Lawan as the party’s consensus candidate was manipulated.
According to a Punch report:
The senators-elect noted with regret that the leadership of the APC did not carry the Pro-Saraki’s group along while the Lawan group was allegedly informed ahead of the meeting.
The group explained that they went to the Independent Conference Centre, venue of the meeting, with just five members to discuss the modalities for the conduct of the election.
He said, “The Unity Forum (Lawan’s men) insisted on an open ballot voting which we discovered is different from the electoral process used to conduct the earlier election of the House of Representatives members-elect.
“To us, this open ballot voting is primitive, undemocratic and against universal electoral norms and practice. In the light of the above, we the Senators-elect of Like Minds hereby insist on our position of open ballot.
“Secret voting process, which we believe in, is in consonance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the universal electoral values.
“As responsible citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and leaders in our own right, we have resolved and hereby state that we shall not be part of a process that promotes undemocratic electoral process.
“Such undemocratic process may resort to rancorous and uncivilised situations which inhibits the rights of individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice, as this process will further divide us than unite members of our party.
“In conclusion, we the Senators-elect of Like Minds wish to state categorically that we will participate only in the Constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday June 9, 2015, in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The group vowed to address a news conference today (on Sunday) with 65 senators-elect across the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, who had already endorsed Saraki’s candidature for the post.
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