Ahmad Lawan denies arguing for the scrapping of term limits to allow Buhari stay beyond 2023

SENATE majority leader Senator Ahmad Lawan has denied statements attributed to him saying that he supported President Muhammadu Buhari staying in office beyond 2023 claiming that such rumours were the handiwork of his political adversaries.

Senator Lawan, 60, representing Yobe North Senatorial District is the frontrunner to become the senate president in the ninth National Assembly when it assumes office on May 29. He has already received the backing of President Buhari and the chairman of his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take over from incumbent senate president Senator Bukola Saraki.

However, yesterday, Senator Lawan's campaign suffered a major setback when he was reported to have said that he would back a constitutional amendment to scrap fixed term limits so President Buhari can stay in office beyond 2023. Nigeria's constitution only allows the president and governors to remain in office for a maximum of two four-year terms and attempts by President Olusegun Obasanjo to alter this were fiercely opposed in 2006.

Yesterday, Senator Lawan was reported to have said: "I won't mind a constitutional amendment to allow for unlimited terms of office for president if President Buhari wishes to remain in office beyond 2023."

This statement did not go down well with his fellow lawmakers and sparked an immediate public outrage. In a swift reaction to the development, however, senate spokesman Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi described the report as fake news.

He added that it was a desperate plot concocted by evil and desperate politicians bent on frustrating the emergence of Senator Lawan as senate president in the ninth National Assembly. Once a contender for senate president himself, Senator Abdullahi from Niger State, is now backing Senator Lawan and fervently denied the reports on his behalf.

Senator Abdullahi said: “This is just a very desperate attempt by detractors and some politicians who want to taint the good image of the senate leader and the future senate president, Senator Ahmad Lawan. When we senators met the president two days ago, he was very emphatic that he has stood for election five times and this is his last.

“The president made it clear that he wants to retire quietly to his home on the basis of which he is going to work very hard these four years since Nigerians have given him this opportunity to leave a lasting legacy behind. The president’s statement clearly shows that he is a full democrat who knows that our constitution only provides for a second term which he has gotten and for which he is grateful to Nigerians.

“Therefore, to come back to say that Senator Ahmad Lawan will amend the constitution to keep him in office beyond 2023 is just the height of evil thinking and bad politics taken too far. The public should discountenance that and focus on supporting a very genuine and transparent process that will lead to the emergence of our own choice leaders as senators-elect when the ninth senate unveils.”