Just days to the inauguration of the National Assembly, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum has warned Nigerians against allowing Ahmed Lawan become the President of the ninth Senate.
The AYCF linked the support Lawan is currently getting from some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress to the secret pursuit of personal ambitions ahead of the 2023 elections.
A statement by the President of the AYCF, Yerima Shettima, fingered Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Leader of the APC, and Nasir El-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, as being behind Lawan’s ambition in a desperate move ahead of 2023.
The statement said: “We advise the Tinubus and Elrufais of this world to shove aside any desperate move on 2023 and allow a level-playing field for all political offices.
“No one should hide behind any political party to turn Nigerians into mere manipulable pawn. That will be undemocratic imposition and totally unacceptable.”
The group recalled how it predicted that Senator Danjuma Goje would step down when he is pressured into submission using his pending case at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The statement by Shettima added: “We also declared that he could alternatively be forced to step down from the race in exchange for his freedom from EFCC’s hot chase.
“We are happy to inform all Nigerian progressives that we have been vindicated in all the public declarations we made recently on the contentious seat of the Senate presidency.
“It is obvious that the desperation to make the road to Senate presidency smooth for Tinubu’s acolyte (Sen Lawan), Buhari’s foot-soldiers, especially Governor Nasir El-Rufai are coming up with a new narrative to pull a blind wool over our eyes.
“The Kaduna governor is trying to sell a dummy to Nigerians that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has done the needful regarding Goje’s case with the EFCC.
“And we ask: Which attorney-general, when all ministers have since resigned? What is the meaning of taking a case that was under investigation by an independent body, to an attorney-general who is not the judge in the court handling the Senator Goje case?
“These are questions begging for answers and we are tempted to assume that the EFCC is about to be hindered from continuing with the case because Chief Tinubu, who has been pushing Buhari harder, has vested interest to do with his 2023 presidential ambition.”
The group, while maintaining that it had been vindicated, emphasised that the best man for the next Senate presidency is Senator Ali Ndume.
The group noted that Ndume has remained uncompromising, unwilling to dance to the tune of the new 2023 gang-up.
According to the group, Ndume’s bold stance in this climate of political fire has been a very rare one.
It said: “We see the desperation in the use on intimidation of senators to fall into the booby trap. Let the world know that we, in the AYCF are watching very closely and we will democratically resist this imposition in broad daylight.
“It is now abundantly clear that only Senator Ali Ndume is capable of preserving the independence of the Senate under the Next Level mantra.”
The AYCF stressed that it would resist any attempt to impose anyone on the National Assembly.
It added that it would engage the use of every constitutional means to promote and preserve the integrity and independence of the Senate by ensuring that its leadership represents the dreams and aspirations of all Nigerians.
