The President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is optimistic that 2023 will once again be a year for the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressing confidence that the Party will be victorious in the February 2023 elections.
Senator Lawan, who is also the Chairman of the National Assembly, spoke in Abuja while receiving the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and members of his delegation who paid a visit to the APC national assembly Caucus.
Tinubu was at the National Assembly to discuss with the APC Caucus his ambition to vie for the ticket of the Party for the Presidential polls in February 2023.
“2023 Your Excellency, by the Grace of God, will be a year for APC in Nigeria again,” Lawan said in response to Asiwaju Tinubu’s earlier announcement of his intention to seek the APC ticket to run for the Presidency in 2023.
The Senate President said most of the challenges faced today in the country have international dimensions, and no one can run away from responsibilities.
“We took our responsibility head-on in 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari declared he would deal with the insurgency in the northeast then. He did, successfully too, but of course, we have insecurity in other parts of the country today. These are some of our challenges.
“I’m very sure, given the results that we are getting recently, before May 29, 2023, the security situation of this country would have improved by the Grace of God.”
The Senate President appreciated Asiwaju Tinubu for recognising the APC national assembly Caucus as a critical stakeholder of the Party.
“Your Excellency, we have all listened to you with rapt attention, and we are happy that you are here to talk with us as a Caucus. All of us here, I dare say, know who you are, but this is just an effort to have some face-to-face engagement with us, and we are thrilled this event is taking place once again; we appreciate this visit.
“The APC National Assembly caucus, mainly the APC Senate Caucus, is our Party’s central, fundamental pillar.
“From 2019, this caucus has shown loyalty, commitment, dedication, focus, and purposeful orientation to ensure that our victory from 2015 to 2019, as a political party, is fully utilised for the benefit of Nigerians.
“Your Excellency, from 2019, when we were voted in, this APC caucus has remained committed to the ideals of our Party, the APC. They have shown uncommon loyalty to the Party, and they have shown resolve to work within ourselves and with the executive arm of government.
“Today, the APC administration has achieved so much even though there is still a lot to do, but we have achieved so much from 2019 to date because of the commitment of the National Assembly APC caucus.
“We have shown our unrelenting desire to continue to work for the people of Nigeria. Your Excellency, this political Party needs the commitment that the National Assembly of APC extraction members has shown across the country.
“Your Excellency, you have done so much as a Governor. You were a member of this National Assembly, and you remain a member of this particular Legislative organisation.
“We have learned so much from you. Today, we need to ensure that our members across the country continue to have faith, show faith, show commitment, and wherever we are challenged, we should be courageous enough to take decisions that will reverse any untoward and unexpected situation.
“From 2019 to date, in both chambers of the National Assembly, we have almost exhausted the central pillar of our Legislative Agenda, to the Glory of God.
“It has been a story of success, breaking jinxes, a story of coming first in terms of legislation. I meant it to continue. This is supposed to be carried forward and I want to assure you, that members of the APC caucus in the Senate and indeed in the National Assembly in both Chambers, will continue to work hard until we continue our tenure in 2023.”
E/Temitope O.
