Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday met behind closed doors with the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He was with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang.
The meeting started around 2p.m when the dou arrived the Acting President’s office.
It was still in progress at the time of filing this report.
Details later…
Despite the crisis that engulfed the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier in the week, the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, said on Wednesday night the party would remain focused on the task of providing good governance to Nigerians.
At least 14 senators had on Tuesday decamped from the APC to other political parties.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and APC Senators at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Oshiomhole said the meeting was held at the instance of the senators, who wanted to show their solidarity for the President and his administration.
He said: “The senators have come in huge numbers to prove that the APC remains the party with the largest number of senators as well as members in the House of Representatives. Also to prove that we still have what it takes to continue to provide good governance for Nigeria.
“We have agreed that going forward, the APC cannot be intimidated, the government will not be intimidated or distracted. We remain focused and committed to addressing the critical challenges that confront our country, namely security, economy and fight against corruption.
“On all three, the President is consistent and determined and the senators have come to reassure him of their full backing on these three core commitments which we have made to the Nigerian people and for me as party Chairman, we are very excited.”
According to him, the legislators that defected on Tuesday were victims of misinformation.
He said some of them would retrace their steps and come back to the APC.
The Majority Leader in the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, who led the APC Senators to the Presidential Villa, said they were in the State House to pay courtesy call on President Buhari and also give him details of what transpired at the Senate on Tuesday.
He said: “We have come to pay a courtesy call on our leader, the President of this country and then inform him about what happened yesterday (Tuesday) in the Senate and indeed the National Assembly; the defection by some of our colleagues from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party and various political parties. We informed the President on how we stand in the Senate.
“As at today, the APC caucus in the Senate is 53 in number, followed by the largest minority party the PDP with 48 Senators and then the ADC with two Senators, APGA has two Senators. We have two vacant seats which were occupied by APC Senators who are late now.”
Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan on Tuesday said that despite the defection of some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC] to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) the reconciliation process will continue, expressing confidence that those who defected will return to the party.
Senator Lawan who spoke after a closed door meeting with the National Chairman of party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and members of the National Working Committee insisted that the APC still maintain its majority in the senate with 53 Senators.
He said what is required at this point in time for Nigerians especially the lawmakers to join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver on his campaign promises to Nigerians.
Other senators who were part of the meeting include Prof. Ajayi Boroface, Senator Kabiru Gaya and Senator Magatakarda Wamako, while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and majority Whip in the House of Representatives, Ado Dogowa later joined the meeting.
He said: “We came to brief the national Chairman and the National, Working Committee on the incident that happened today in the senate. You will recall that there was defection to the PDP and other parties by some of our members in the senate and what we have come here to do is to brief the nation leadership on what has happened.
“Even though we have lost some of our colleagues to the PDP and other parties, the APC still retain the position of the number one party with most seats than any other. Presently, we are 53 Senators, PDP has 49, ADC has 3 and APGA has 2and we have 2 vacancies because we lost our colleagues in Katsina and Bauchi. They were APC seats and in August, bye election will be held and APC will reclaim its seats and our majority will increase.
“We are also going to work hard with our leaders to reach out to our colleagues who have left us and give them the comfort they required that this party is the party to work with because we have a president who has remained focused and has done so much with little resources.
“He is busy providing infrastructure in this country. Infact, Nigeria is today, a construction site and I believe that every Nigerian should support this type 9f President.
“At the end of the day, we are hoping that our colleagues who have left us will come back to this party to continue in the nation building process.
“Reconciliation is a continuous process. It will take some time, but we are very optimistic. There is no alternative to reconciliation and consultation and this we will continue to do and by the grace of God, we will get back our colleagues. “The PDP has no future because they misrule Nigeria, PDP destroyed Nigeria, embezzled the resources of this country. I will be surprised if anyone wants to associate with this kind of party. Our colleagues are clean people and should have nothing to do with PDP at all.
“My position as Senate Leader is not in contention. If you look at our senate rules, the party with the majority of seats provides the majority leader. I told you that we are 53 and PDP 49. You do not need to be a great mathematician to know that we are in majority.
“But that is not the issue really. It is not about the office of the majority leader, but for our colleagues working together and facing the same direction as progressives to make Nigeria better and give the president the support that he requires and for the party to continue to provide the kind of leadership we need. That is what we are looking for.”
The Senate caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that it still retains majority seats in the upper legislative chamber despite the defection on Tuesday of 14 of its members to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Briefing journalists after an emergency meeting held shortly after the plenary session, the senators said the defection did not in any relegate them to minority status in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said the APC still has 52 members, while the PDP has 50.
Senator Joshua Dariye who is presently serving a 14-year jail term was counted among the 52 senators of the APC.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has three; the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has two. There are two vacant seats occasioned by the death of two senators from Bauchi and Katsina.
Lawan said the APC would win back the two vacant seats occupied by Senator Ali Wakili (Bauchi) and Mustapha Bukar (Katsina) until their death recently.
This, according to him, would raise the membership strength of the party to 54.
The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, on Monday described President Muhammadu Buhari as a phenomenon.
He said the plethora of movements propelling the President’s re-election is due to the man’s phenomenal attributes.
Lawan stated these when he hosted members of North East Youth coalition for President Buhari in his office in Abuja.
He said the President remained an attitude to life.
He said: “Buhari is a phenomenon. It is a movement, it is not a man. What I mean here, let me not be misquoted. When I said Buhari is not a man, Buhari is an attitude to life. What is that, attitude, integrity and commitment.
“He came into politics not to make money. It is our duty as citizens not to allow the President to do it alone. No matter how you are, how equipped you are, when it comes to leadership and administration, especially of a country that is as complex as Nigeria, you need every hand to be on deck.
“That is what we are trying to do, that is what the coalition is seeking to do as a Senate. When the President came in 2015, the first actions he took were the actions necessary to rescue and secure the North East.
“The North East has been rescued, insurgency once it starts it doesn’t stop like when rain starts and stops. You will always find from time to time some signs that they are still there. But the signs have been reduced to suicide bombing of soft targets, not declaring a caliphate with headquarters in Bama or anywhere else. We really owe gratitude to our President.”
Lawan said “Buharism” is delivery of services in transparent and accountable manner.
He added: “We are not only asking President Muhammadu Buhari to run in 2019. We want Buhari to finish in 2023 and then another Buhari should come. The attitude to governance that should be transparent and demonstrate accountability.”
The leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) has resolved to constitute a committee to look into differences between the Executive and the National Assembly and proffer solution to the matter.
The resolution, according to the Leader of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, was fallout of a meeting between the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and the APC Caucus in the Senate, held in Abuja on Wednesday.
Lawan told journalists after the meeting that membership of the committee would be drawn from the Executive, Legislature, the Governors’ Forum and the party’s National Secretariat.
He said the team the team was charged with the responsibility of reducing the level of misunderstanding among members of the party across board.
Lawan said the committee would investigate the disagreements at different levels of the party ahead of the 2019 general election.
He said: “The purpose of the meeting was to discuss happenings in the party across the country and across all levels of government.
“Senators took turn to express the way out of some of the issues bedeviling the party and I believe that it was a worthwhile, very frank discussion.
“The party will soon constitute a team that will comprise of the executive, the legislature, the party itself and representatives from our governors and we have 24 of them.
“We are very happy as a caucus that the interaction was worthwhile and I am sure that our party was also glad to be here with us this afternoon.
“We, as members of the National Assembly will remain committed to ensuring that we continue to support the change agenda of our administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The party is the platform for all of us, both the legislative and executive and in my own view, the party has done well by coming.”
In his remarks before the commencement of the closed-door meeting, the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun, said the meeting was aimed at discussing issues in the polity.
He said happenings within the polity necessitated the party leadership to meet with the Senate caucus “to reason and strategise for 2019 elections.
“We hope to have a better party after the meeting,” he said.
The NWC was led to the meeting by Odigie-Oyegun while President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, led the APC Senate Caucus to the meeting which lasted two and half hours at the National Assembly.
NAN
Two senators representing Yobe State, Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) and Mohammed Hassan (Yobe South), yesterday clashed over the missing secondary school girls from the state.
The row started when Lawan, who is also the Senate Leader, praised President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ibrahim Geidam for ensuring that parents were comforted and sending Ministry of Education officials to take a head count in the attacked school.
Hardly had Lawan concluded his contribution of the missing school girls than Hassan sharply disagreed and insisted that Geidam did not deserve any praise.
Hassan noted that instead of being praised, Geidam should be tackled for allegedly abdicating his duty as the state’s chief security officer.
Hassan’s attack did not go down well with Lawan. He said the Yobe South lawmaker should not link him (Lawan) with his comments.
Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, who is also from the state had in a motion told the Senate that on Monday, some suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Government Girls Technical College in the state.
He noted that of 936 female students, who ran into the bush, 46 were still missing while 810 returned.
Ibrahim said: “I understand that the governor of Yobe State has already gotten the military to deploy military and police personnel.
“So far, there has been no case of killing. Nobody is sure if it was a case of abduction or some of the girls who ran home have not yet come back.
“These are yet to be confirmed. The Federal Government has already sent a high powered delegation; three ministers to go and stay in Damaturu and report to Mr. President on a continuous basis until the matter is resolved.
“So it means now that I wish that we resolve to condemn the attack on the school and the resurgence of insurgency.
“To urge the Federal Government to urgently recover, through the military, of course, the girls so as not to repeat the case of the Chibok girls in Borno State earlier.”
Lawan said: “What happened was unfortunate and after the Chibok incident, it was the wish of every Nigerian that it doesn’t happen again in the country. I want to, at this point, commend Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, for immediately taking action by directing the Armed Forces to move into Yobe to ensure that Boko Haram did not run away with any single girl.
“I want to also commend the Governor of Yobe State, Ibrahim Geidam, for ensuring that parents were comforted, for sending officials of the Ministry of Education to go round the families to ensure that they took head counts of the girls from that school.
“What happened is a lesson for us. That Boko Haram sees girls or women as value targets. What they did in Chibok earned them some funds, because negotiations were held somehow and they got a lot of money. Now, the lesson is, we need to be extra careful and take extraordinary measures in protecting our schools; especially girls’ schools in those states especially Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
“Yobe State spent over N15 billion supporting security agencies posted to the state. This is an indication that the state government is working in collaboration and cooperation with the Federal Government. I want to urge our state to continue to do that but the Federal Government should also do the needful.
“Our state is not those kinds of states that you get a lot of money and therefore, such funds should be refunded to them so that we will continue to provide the required security.”
Hassan disagreed. He said: “In 2013, a secondary school in Potiskum was attacked, where over 70 children were killed. A year after, another secondary school in Mamudu was attacked where school children were slaughtered. There was another attack in Yadin Buni where students were attacked, the state university too was attacked and now we have this one.
“This is quite disheartening to hear, with due respect to Senator Lawan, to commend the state government for serially failing to protect our students. This is the primary responsibility of the government; to protect the lives and properties of its citizen.
“The state government of Yobe has serially failed in this regard. It has abdicated its primary responsibility in doing that. Again, Mr. President….”
Lawan promptly raised Order 53 (7) to remind Hassan that “No senator, shall input improper motive to any other senator”.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekeremadu agreed with Lawan and said: “We send our deep concern to the governor and people of Yobe State. We are also aware that the military and the police are overstretched in all ramifications at this period of national insecurity. That is what makes the case a stronger case for another level of policing.
“If you are now asking the military and the police to provide security at all the schools, they cannot have the number to do so. There must be another level of policing to complement the Federal Government security infrastructure in order to be able secure all parts of Nigeria.”
Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan yesterday described President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to reconcile warring factions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a right step in the right direction.
Lawan told reporters in Abuja that the move would add value to the ruling party.
“In fact, that committee should have been constituted a long time ago because the APC is plagued by some internal issues and I believe that these are issues that are surmountable.
“The Tinubu Committee will definitely add value to reconciling the warring sides. Time is against us; we have to really kick start this process of reconciliation immediately, and I believe that as a family we should be able to come out very much united than we were before,” Lawan said.
The Senator urged Nigerians to be positive and support government’s efforts at surmounting security challenges in the country.
He commended the recent collaboration between the legislature and the executive, particularly the just-concluded national security summit towards tackling security challenges in the country.
The Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan on Friday said that the upper legislative chamber will deliberate on the possibilities of the country having state police.
He spoke with State House journalists after observing juma’a at service at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the senate is currently looking towards reviewing the country’s security architecture and will be open to any suggestion that will it achieve the objective.
He commended Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for suggesting state and community policing, adding that the Senate would bring it on board.
He said “Well, I’m not a legislature as such because I am only one member of the legislature. But as a committee member of the adhoc committee on security and the review of security infrastructure in Nigeria, I believe that the suggestion by the Vice President that we should go the way of state Police and even consider community policing, is very good suggestion and we are going to take it on board in the National Assembly
The senator also hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of the former Governor of Lagos state Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to reconcile warring factions within the ruling All Progressives Congress.
While pointing out that the committee is coming late, he said that it is expected to add value to APC which he said is plagued by some internal issues.
“In fact that that committee should have been constituted long time ago because APC is plagued by some internal issues and I believe that these are issues that are surmountable.
“The Tinubu committee will definitely add value into reconciling the warring sides so to speak. Time is against us, we have to really kickstart these process of reconciliation immediately and I believe that as a family we should be able to come out very much much United that we were before.” he said
The Senator also urged Nigerians to be positive and support government’s efforts at sumounting insecurity challenges in the country.
He also commended the recent collaboration between the legislature and the executive particularly, the just concluded national security summit, towards tackling security challenges in the country.
The Buhari Support Group on Friday met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking with State House journalists at the end of the meeting, the group maintained that the critical to solving the problems facing the nation.
The President, the group said, should be able to finish what it started by the year 2023.
The leader of the Buhari Support Group,
Abu Ibrahim, said “Well, we came here as members of the national committee of the Buhari support group. This is an amalgamation of about 189 different support groups that had worked for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to win the 2015 general election.
“We have been holding meetings, discussing the problems of this country, Nigeria. So, we thought it was high time we meet with the President to intimate him about the activities of the group.
“We discussed with him about the plans to improve the situation in Nigeria. Mr President was very pleased with our programs.”
On whether the Group was in the Villa to convince Buhari to contest the 2019 Presidential election, he said “Well, that didn’t come up actually. We only discussed the programs of the organization and problems of the group. But we didn’t go into the 2019 elections.”
Asked if the group is going to encourage Buhari to run for reelection, he said “Of course l will. Because l believe in his philosophy and l believe he can solve the problems of this nation. He can ensure the Progress, stability and prosperity of this nation.”
The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, said that the group will continue to support the President and his administration as a group.
He said “We will continue to identify with and support all the programs that this administration has set forward. And l believe that we have every justification to be happy because, the President campaigned on three major pillars of anti- corruption, fighting the insecurity across the country and revitalizing the economy of Nigeria.
“It has been a very, very good journey so far and also believes that Mr. President and Nigerians have a future beyond 2019. What he has started, by the grace of God, he should be able to complete, up to 2023.
On areas the President should improve upon towards 2019 elections, he said “Well, we have issues we think that the administration will be dealing with very successfully, now that we have economic recovery and growth plans which encapsulates everything we need to move Nigeria forward. Now that Nigerians have continued to show love for Mr. President, l believe that we are going to achieve those things that we set for ourselves at the moment.
“I also believe that the future is bright and by the grace of God, by 2019, we would have achieved so much in this administration and Mr. President will have no option but continue the good work he has started,” he said.