Lawan: Why I lost to Saraki in 2015

Senate President Ahmad Lawan says he did not occupy the country’s number three position in 2015 because it was not God’s time.

Speaking with reporters during his 62nd birthday anniversary in Abuja on Tuesday, Lawan said despite not holding the office, he worked with Bukola Saraki, former senate president, for the good of Nigerians.

In 2015, Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, former majority leader of the house of representatives, were tipped at the last minute by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for positions of senate president and speaker respectively.

However, Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, a lawmaker from Bauchi, defied the party and emerged number three and four citizens respectively.

The development led to a frosty relationship between the legislature and the executive led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“In 2015, you will recall when I wanted to be senate president, and God in his wisdom decided, No. You are not going to be. Someone else will be. Then of course senator Saraki became the president of the senate,” Lawan said.

“We believe in God. We worked together in the senate for the benefit of our people and when in 2019, God said it is time, guess what? 109 senators have the same mindset, the same attitudinal disposition to making Nigeria better, to working with the executive arm of government for the betterment of our country.”

The number three citizen said the senate under his leadership and national assembly at large have discharged “our responsibilities very well.”

“This is an opportunity for me to commend very distinguished senators for being very patriotic all through to ensure that the last one and half years of our activities in the senate, the senate has introduced so much good things into the system,” he said.