Senate now under APC control, must line up behind Buhari –Oyegun

The All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that the party is now in firm control of the Senate with the emergence of Senator Ahmed Lawan as Senate Majority Leader.

He said the upper chamber has no other option at the moment than to line up behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s projects to ensure that they are fully and faithfully executed to a level where Nigerians will begin to see the change APC promised them.

Odigie-Oyegun stated this when the Senate new Majority Leader Lawan, his deputy, Bala Ibn Na-Allah, the chief whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye and Senator Francis Alimikhena paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

“We all regret that it took so long for us to arrive at the position we are today. What is important is that it has finally happened. The APC caucus in the senate will now take full charge, control and dominance as the governing party and the majority party in the senate.

“What is right is what is right and it is now clear that the authority and the supremacy of the party have finally been recognized, which is a critical ingredient to the smooth function of the apparatus of governance.

“Today, we have a united party, a united Senate and a Senate that is firmly under the control of the APC. That will only mean one thing and that is the fact that we all recognize the challenge before this nation. We all recognize the fact that we must all line up behind Mr. President. This is a critical year and we have a beautiful budget. The senate is united. 

The party is strengthened and consolidated. So, it is time to put our weight behind the executive to show that the project is fully and faithfully executed so that the people of this nation will begin to see the change that we promised,” he said.

Lawan, speaking during the visit disclosed that his choice as the Senate leader was done in recognition of the party supremacy as well as to re-establish solidity in the APC Senate caucus.

On the supposed party plot to remove the deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Lawan said he has no knowledge of any such move by the APC Senate caucus.

Lawan emerged as Senate majority leader on Tuesday January 10 after 38 APC caucus members voted to remove Senator Ali Ndume from the position.