Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has debunked the allegation that he is stopping some All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the National Assembly from exiting the party.
This was disclosed on Saturday in a signed statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the Senate President, Ola Awoniyi.
Reports had it that Lawan sat on the defection letters of 12 APC lawmakers to impede any impeachment threat against his presidency.
Among the 12 APC lawmakers who reportedly submitted their defection letters to Lawan was Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa.
Responding to the report, the President of the Senate said he did not receive any defection letters from any member of the Senate.
The statement read in part, “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.
“Apparently, some vested interests want to magnify challenges to sow seeds of discord in Parliament 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.”
