Senate President Ahmed Lawan has said that there was no need for concern regarding the leadership of the 10th Senate.
He disclosed this to State House correspondent on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Lawan expressed confidence that Senators would adhere to the All Progressives Congress (APC) decision and present a united front.
He dismissed the possibility of the opposition party overruling the ruling party’s plan for the Senate presidency.
Lawan, however, emphasised that APC senators would work together with colleagues from other parties in a bipartisan manner to select the Senate leadership.
He affirmed that APC was not in trouble, and he was confident that the APC members and Aenators-elect would respect whatever decision the party and its leaders would make.
Lawan stressed the importance of a united National Assembly, citing the successful bipartisan approach taken in the outgoing ninth Assembly.
He also noted that opposition parties were necessary for the passing of constitutional amendments, as at least 73 Senators are required for the process.
He believed that working with the opposition party from the beginning was critical for a more productive, stable, and calmer chamber, leading to better outcomes.
He said, “the party is not in trouble. This is today’s Sallah, and by the grace of God, and most of those people who have travelled for either Umrah or one reason or the other will be back in the country, including our President-elect, and I’m sure that our leaders will come together and decide how the leadership of the 10th National Assembly will emerge.
“I’m very confident that the APC members and Senators-elect will respect whatever our party and our leaders will eventually come up with, we are praying that we are able to deal with it as decisively as possible, and then keep ourselves united and work together with other parties.
“We have been able to work together with other parties in the ninth Assembly in a very bipartisan way, smoothly and seamlessly.
“And I believe that we can repeat that. And it is very, very essential that we have a very united National Assembly. And I’m very confident that we will do that.
“I don’t think opposition parties are planning to usurp because it is presumptuous that the APC will not be a united party, APC is a united party and the opposition party will simply work with the APC majority for us to have stability.
“Because there is no way an opposition will decide who should be the Senate President who should be the Speaker, it is our party and other leaders that will decide which zone or whoever, and the rest of us in the party will key in and of course the opposition would have no option but to support.
“I don’t see anything wrong in the opposition talking to us, or we’re talking to the opposition to ensure that we’re on the same page, because we need opposition to ensure that we get most of our constitutional amendments, when the time is right, passed. Because we can’t have the 73 in the Senate.
“So you need 73 Senators at least for you to have any constitutional amendment. So you would need opposition. That’s why it is very, very critical, it is very essential that you work with opposition right from the beginning. Don’t ever think the opposition should be pushed away.”
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