By Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation and Sanni Onogu, Abuja
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Saturday, denied sitting on a letter allegedly written by some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators seeking to formally defect to opposition parties.
The Special Adviser (Media) to the Senate President, Ola Awoniyi, in a statement in Abuja, described reports pertaining to such a development as utter falsehood.
The statement reads: “We have seen a story on social media and some online newspapers purporting that the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is sitting on letters from some senators allegedly intimating him of their defections from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The story insinuated that Lawan is sitting on the purported letters to protect his position as the President of the Senate.
“We hereby state categorically that the story is utter falsehood as there is no such letter before the Senate President.
“The report mentioned only Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa as one of the affected senators.
“Obviously, the purveyors of the syndicated lies had not even bothered to confirm from the Distinguished Senator if and when he submitted any such letter to the Senate President.
“It is public knowledge that the Senate President has always promptly read out at plenaries letters by senators defecting from one party to another.
“The Senate President is sufficiently knowledgeable about the rules and workings of the Senate and has been discharging his responsibilities within the ambit of those rules.
“That is why he has continued to enjoy the confidence and full cooperation of his fellow Distinguished Senators irrespective of party affiliations.
“Apparently, some vested interests want to magnify challenges to sow seeds of discord in Parliament in promotion of their selfish agenda.
“We wish to reiterate that the Senate President is not withholding or sitting on any letter of whatever content from any of his Distinguished Senator colleagues.
“Therefore, any story purporting such exists only in the imagination of the mischief makers circulating it.
Meanwhile, the Senator from Katsina South District, Sen. Bello Mandiya yesterday said he is not defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to any party.
He described a purported list being circulated as fake and a product of political mischief.
He said he has never written the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan to leave APC.
Mandiya, who spoke with our correspondent last night, asked all his teeming supporters and party leaders to ignore the baseless story in circulation.
He said: “I am not defecting from APC to any party. I will not leave APC under any guise. The inclusion of my name on a purported list of intending defectors was sheer political mischief.
“Although I am aggrieved by the way I was shut out of the Senatorial primaries, I won’t because of this leave APC which I am committed to.
“I know there are internal mechanisms for addressing all intra-party issues. Defection is not my option.
“I will stay in APC to work for the progress of the party. I believe that APC is still formidable enough to win the next poll.”
Responding to a question, Mandiya added: “Everyone in the Senate knew my roles as one of the members trying to keep the APC Caucus united to curtail the antics of the opposition.
“It is awkward and insensible for anybody to claim that I am defecting from APC to another party.
“I have not written a letter to the President of the Senate to quit APC.”