The name of the president of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan finally made it to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the deadline of 17th June 2022.
This is notwithstanding the adamant refusal of Bashir Machina to step down for him for the APC ticket, which some political pundits suggest could be a pay back from Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
Nevertheless, his hold onto the ticket did not get the support of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, who now claims that Ahmad Lawan, actually contested and won the party’s primary for the Yobe North Senatorial District.
A claim he has backed up with no evidence whatsoever, except a reliance on his personal honour, as he claims “I do know in my honour that he did participate within the timeline,”.
The APC National Chairman made this claim on Monday while reacting to questions from journalists following the presentation of the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election, Biodun Oyebanji, now governor-elect of Ekiti, to President Muhammadu Buhari at the statehouse Abuja.
Bashir Machina became Lawan`s albatross after winning the ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Yobe North Senatorial District, which the Senate president currently represents at the Senate.
Ahmed Lawan`s political block claimed that Machina was returned unopposed in a makeshift party primary so he can hold the ticket in trust for Lawan, in case he failed to clinch the APC presidential ticket.
Lawan eventually lost in the presidential primary where he came a very distant 4th position, resulting in a clear victory for Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a man he shares first name with, and also formerly of same political block.
Upon returning from his failed outing at the Abuja APC convention, this alleged arrangement to hold the ticket of the Yobe North Senatorial District in trust for him (Lawan) was allegedly scuttled by Bashir Machina, who insisted he was holding onto the ticket as the authentic choice of the people of the senatorial zone, as Clariform reported.
Following this development, indications began to emerge that the challenge posed by Machina may be directly fueled by Senator Ahmen Bola Tinubu, the APC flagbearer for the presidential election.
The rumour was that Tinubu was bitter with Lawan for challenging him for the APC presidential ticket. Tinubu`s bitterness was evident in his open rebook of Lawan during his acceptance speech after winning the APC ticket. He told Lawan that he is now “licking his wounds” for challenging him.
During an interview last week on Channels Television political program, Politics Today, Bashir Machina brandished some documentations, which he said established that he alone participated in the APC primary for Yobe North Senatorial District.
The documents he brandished included an official declaration of result from APC, which shows he was elected unopposed during the primary , scoring 289 votes out of 300 eligible votes in the election, while 11 invalid votes were declared invalid.
These facts will present a serious legal quagmire for Ahmed Lawan should Machina with support from Tinubu continues in the battle to unseat the Senate President.
In the epic legal battle that may ensure, the claims of the APC National Chairman will come under serious heavy scrutiny. Adamu had also claimed on Monday that any talk about the claim by Machina is “from mischief makers.”
“I cannot respond to every speculation particularly when they are negative, especially when they are from mischief makers.” He said.
Adamu further staked his honour in support of his claim that Lawan actually participated in the APC primary, but failed to disclose the place and time the primary was allegedly conducted. He merely claimed it was held within the INEC timeline.
According to him, “Go and find out from the person who is responsible for organising the primary. I have done my bit. I do know in my honour that he did participate within the timeline,” he said.
Clariform reports that Adamu was also the same person who announced that the Senate President was the consensus presidential candidate of the APC, just before the convention. This claim was rebuffed by President Buhari and the National Working Committee of the party, which he presided over.
It was also rejected and opposed by almost all the APC governors from the Northern states, who went all out in support of Senate Bola Tinubu and saw him to victory at the primary, against the wishes of Adamu.
With all these developments, it is becoming clearer by the day that the last may not have been had in the battle for the Yobe North Senatorial ticket for the All Progressive Congress.
So, also is a clear signal that the APC National Chairman, Adamu and the interests he represents may continue to conflict with that of Tinubu, the APC presidential flagbearer, even as the February 2023 election draws closer.
