Ahmed Lawan

Chairman, Ahmad Lawan Campaign Group, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, on Monday, said that Sen. Ali Ndume’s resolve to contest for the senate president’s position has given credibility to the entire process.

Abdullahi, who made the remark when he appeared at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, said everybody is free to vote and be voted for in a democratic setting.

”Democracy is a contest and there is beauty in the contest and that is what I told Ndume about an hour ago; that we appreciate that you are making democracy in Nigeria to really work.

”It gives credibility to the entire process. If we had just gone and ….already, people are saying that we have been annointed, we have been stampeded into that; that is a very wrong perception,” he said.

He said Lawan had become formidable, going by his contribution in the Senate being the Senate leader in the 8th assembly.

”Under normal parliamentary practice, if a party wins an election, the leader of that party in the Senate, without any contest, moves in and take over the leadership.

”That is what happens in the United States when democrats won the election in the House of Representatives,” he said.

Abdullahi said the same thing was applicable in the British system of government.

”So under normal circumstances, we stand on a very strong position, and they know us and we know them,” he said.

He said the group would have had a big challenge if their candidate was incompetent.

”If our candidate was that bad, since we started this contest late February, the issue would have come out.

”If he was corrupt or has stolen money, it would have come out in the public domain.

”But the fact that it hasn’t, it means that we are on good course,” he said.

He said although Ndume has his own agenda which he wants to advance, Lawan’s acceptability is overwhelming.

Abdullahi enjoined Nigerians to note the integrity and the sincerity of purpose of the 9th Senate under Lawan’s watch.

”We want Nigerians to really keep an eye on us. If we win this election, we will add value to legislative activities,” he said.

He said the independence of the legislature would be guaranteed while relationship with the executive would be strengthened.