Nwaoboshi backs Lawan’s Senate presidency bid
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja
The support base of Senator Ahmed Lawan in his ambition to become Senate President increased on Friday as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator from Delta North, Peter Nwaoboshi backed his candidacy.
In an open declaration during a press briefing in Abuja, Sen. Nwaoboshi said his decision to support Sen. Lawan, who is the APC anointed candidate for Senate president is personal as the PDP is not fielding any candidate for the position.
He explained that though he didn’t support Sen. Lawan’s aspiration for the same position at the beginning of the 8th Senate in 2015, but realities on ground as far as the 9th Senate is concerned, show that he is the most qualified having been in the National Assembly since 1999.
“All those contesting for the position have approached me for support and as a student of history, I’ve studied their backgrounds which clearly show that in terms of experience, Lawan is the one with the requisite legislative experience.
“I have found in him, competence and the required intelligence legislatively and politically to steer the ship of leadership of the 9th Senate and by extension that of the 9th National Assembly,” he said
The senator added that even if the PDP takes a position, as a senator he has the right to decide who to support for the position, adding that his constituents, the Anioma people of Delta state preferred Sen. Lawan to other aspirants.
He said that the opposition of many PDP senators to Lawan’s emergence has been watered down by recent pronouncements by the Deputy National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Lawal Shuaibu that the leadership of both chambers cannot be imposed, but through consensus across party lines.
Sen. Nwaoboshi said the best the PDP leadership would do is to give the elected members of the incoming 9th Senate, the direction to follow, but not to necessarily impose a candidate on them.
