Senate President Not Sitting On Senators’ Defection Letters – Aide

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is neither in receipt nor withholding any letter of defection from one political party to another by any member of the Senate, says his media adviser, Ola Awoniyi.

A press release signed by Awoniyi on Saturday, a copy of which was made available to LEADERSHIP, said the Senate President is sufficiently knowledgeable about the rules and workings of the Senate and has been discharging his responsibilities within the ambit of the rules.

Recall that in the last 24 hours, the social media has been awash with reports that 12 Senators had submitted their letters of defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that Lawan has refused to read the letters at plenary.

But the media adviser to the Senate President described the social media reports as “utter falsehood”, stating there was no such letter before Lawan.

“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,” he Said.

Awoniyi, therefore, accused “some vested interests” of wanting to magnify challenges to sow seeds of discord in the Senate 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,” he stated.