I’ll Not Be A Rubber Stamp Senate President — Lawan
Ahead of Tuesday ‘s inauguration of the ninth Senate, outgoing Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, declared Friday that he would not be a rubber stamp and an appendage of the executive arm of government when he becomes the next Senate President
He also assured Nigerians of predictable budget cycle in the 9th National Assembly through collaboration with the executive.
Speaking Friday in Abuja at the unveiling of his 20- Page agenda titled, “A National Assembly that Works for Nigeria: Proposed Legislative Agenda for the 9th Senate”, the Senate Leader noted that the Senate under him would disagree with the Presidency, but with respect.
He said, “If there is need for disagreement in the interest of Nigerians we will disagree with the executive but with dignity and respect.
“There will not be a Senate which will be a rubber stamp of the Executive under my watch, but a Senate that is highly responsible and committed to those things that work for the country.”
Senator Lawan who noted that the 9th Senate under his leadership will be for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and her people and not political parties, religion or geo – political zones, said, “as there is no dichotomy between parties here, there will be no dichotomy along party or whatever lines in the 9th Senate”, he said.
Meanwhile, many of the Senators -elect for the 9th Senate yesterday attended the unveiling of the Agenda, an indication that they all identified with Senator Lawan’s aspiration for Senate presidency.
At the event yesterday, while 35 out of the 41 Senators are members of the ruling All Progress Congress ( APC), five were of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) and the remaining one, Dr Ifeanyi Uba from Anambra South, belonged to the Young Peoples Party ( YPP).