One of the best decisions I have taken in 2022 was to appeal to Senate President Ahmad Lawan to go for presidency in the 2023 general elections. I am happy he had appreciated my patriotic call and has accepted to contest in the 2023 general elections for the number one office in the land.
I had called on Lawan to come out and contest for the office of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Many had criticised me, asking me why I should choose Lawan out of the galaxy of other aspirants for the exalted office. In my previous writing where I literally begged him to get the nomination form for the presidency, I said none of the aspirants had the intimidating credentials as him, and no one has proved me wrong, even among my most ardent critics.
In my last article, I warned Nigerians that one of the most manifesting ongoing power play is that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) wants the president who will be elected in 2023 general elections to come from among themselves. Unfortunately, none of them has the antecedents which could be compared to that of Lawan.
Senator Lawan has gone through the gamut of legislative business, having been in the National Assembly for more than a decade at a stretch. This is a man who understands the principle of checks and balances as enshrined in democracy. Lawan makes Nigerians to relish the Ninth Assembly for its achievements and peaceful ambience.
Who among Nigerians of the present era does not want security of life and property? But one of the achievements of the Senate under Lawan is the improvement in security and revenue generation which has toppedhis legislative agenda since his assumption of leadership of the Senate.
Nigerians will surely remember the Ninth Senate for its outstanding legislative achievements after the end of its lifespan on May 29, 2023, and in order to continue to reap such benefits, APC will do well to allow Lawan take over from President Muhammadu Buhari. Then, he will appeal to his knowledge and understanding of separation of powers to run Nigeria in accordance with global best practices.
Senate, under Lawan, remains committed to serving the interest of Nigerians in the discharge of its constitutional duties; this sets it apart from the previous Eighth Assembly, where there had been always constitutional tussle between it and the presidency. Name-calling by detractors was unable to deter the upper chamber from considering and passing pro-people legislations needed for the development and advancement of Nigeria’s dire needs for a rise in her Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Am I not right by such observation?
The like of Lawan is hard to come by in a century, and it will be a great disservice to all Nigerians if the ruling APC does not give Lawan its flag to fly in the general elections in 2023. Though there are many intimidating personalities in the opposition but the best way to match them is to field Lawan. Fielding Lawan is capable of eclipsing the likes of Atiku, Kwakwanso, and others in opposition parties.
I am calling on the North as a whole and all compatriots to support Senator Lawan if our desire is really for greater Nigeria that will be a powerful reckoning force in the global politics and socio-cultural and scientific advancement.
My decision is not without a base, I have carefully studied the pedigrees of my compatriots both in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as other opposition parties, and found in my conclusion that they are not good enough for Nigeria, especially the state governors, who want one of them to take over from President Buhari by whatever means they could.
The era of Lawan in the Ninth Assembly is a period of harmony among all the arms of government. There has been peaceful ambience in the governance space of the country because a true statesman isleading the Senate. Lawan’s leadership quality and style are poles apart from his predecessor, Bukola Saraki.
Saraki’s era was marred by tumultuous rancour and bitterness among the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, which had stalled the wheel of progress of the country. Budgets were signed months after the president had presented it to the National Assembly. Saraki’s circle of admirers calls this deliberate tussle radicalism and pragmatism. In democracy, these separate powers are there to check the excesses of one another, but not to serve as a front for attacking one another.
During Lawan’s leadership, peace reigns supreme and Nigeria is better for it. Even though some detractors call him names as being a rubber stamp president of the Senate, he stands his ground like a man who knows where he is going, so no amount of detraction can make him change direction.
So tell me, if such a statesman who shows rare leadership qualities and calmness in the face of provocation comes out to rule the country, what are Nigerians waiting for? Unless our idea of democracy is different, we must all rise up to support Senator Lawan who possesses all it takes to lead the Giant of Africa to its true position in the comity of nations.
Kaugama, an APC chieftain, writes from Dutse, Jigawa state
