Senate Presidency : Lawan is against my ambition because I refused to support him during APC Presidential Convention – Akpabio

Former Governor of Anambra state has disclosed that the outgoing Senate President, Ahmad Lawan is working against his aspiration because of he refused to support him during All Progressive Congress (APC), Presidential Convention.

Akpabio, in a telephone chat and text messages to LEADERSHIP newspapers said that Lawan was leading a group of senators in a campaign of calumny to frustrate his bid to lead the Senate of the 10th National Assembly.

Akpabio also explained that Lawan actually led a team to Tinubu to discredit him. He said despite the “antics of Lawan and his co-travelers, I remain the main person to beat and I am in the race to win.”

“No one can discredit me before the president-elect, who knows me very well and can vouch for my integrity. Senator Lawan and his cohorts are merely wasting their time.”

The former Senate minority leader disclosed that he visited Lawan in his shortly after the Senate president’s meeting with Tinubu for a possible truce.

He said he was accompanied to the parley by Bamidele, Olamilekan, Barau and Aburi, but that Lawan rebuffed all entreaties for peace.

He traced his travails with Lawan to his refusal to support Lawan’s presidential bid, ahead of the 2023 elections.
“SP is reacting over the outcome of the APC presidential convention where I publicly withdrew and declared for the president-elect, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am proud to belong to the most prestigious club in the world – the Senate,” he said.

Rendering an account of what transpired in his peace overtures at Lawan’s residence, he said, “Myself, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, Sen. Barau Jibrin. Sen. Yayi (Solomon Olamilekan) and Sen. TOS (Tokunbo Abiru), all prostrated and pleaded with him (Lawan) to forgive whatever mistakes or misgivings he felt I had committed and to support the aspiration.

“Well, he bluntly refused and said instead, he would support a first term senator from south/south or sponsor anyone else for the SP job. One of us reminded him of the case of (name withheld), who denigrated the entire institution during proceedings in the 8th Senate.

“On aspiring to lead the 9th Senate, there was strong opposition but HE SP Ahmed Lawan appealed to all that since the incumbent president wanted him, he should be forgiven. He was forgiven and voted. He shouted, ‘I hate Akpabio’.

“At that point, Senator Akpabio asked him, (Senate President Ahmed Lawan) in the presence of four of our colleagues that NDDC issues were since settled and put behind us two years before the APC Convention that produced our presidential candidate and now president-elect.”

“On that day of the convention, why did he (SP) put a call to Akpabio offering him the same Senate presidency position and five ministerial slots, including petroleum ministry, if he would step down for him as a presidential aspirant?

“The call data records of the two phones can evidence the call. There were two important witnesses and reactions. Peace is essential – Nigeria first.”
He added that Lawan also threatened to impeach him within one year of his reign in the event that he eventually emerged as Senate president in June, despite his vehement opposition.

The aforementioned senators were said to have appealed to him that such a bellicose position was not in the interest of the incoming Asiwaju administration.