Senate President Ahmad Lawan has debunked reports which alleged that he is favourably disposed to support a tenure extension for President Muhammadu Buhari.
Senator Lawan remarks was on the heels of a tweet attributed to him that he “won’t mind a constitutional amendment to allow the unlimited term of office for President if President Buhari wishes to remain in office beyond 2023.”
But the President of the Senate in a statement signed by his media aide, Ola Awoniyi, disowned the tweet as he noted that the 1999 Constitution has a firm position on the tenure of the President that reflects the popular stand of Nigerians.
He said: “Section 137(1)b states as follow: A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if (b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections.
“The Senate President has never found anything wrong in that provision of the Constitution and has always stood firmly by it.
“It bears recalling that Lawan was a member of the National Assembly when in 2006 it threw out an attempt to amend that section of the Constitution and elongate the tenure of the President. The National Assembly acted then in obedience to the overwhelmingly popular desire of Nigerians.
“It is therefore ludicrous to imagine that Lawan would ever be in the vanguard of any such misadventure that is again certain to fail if ever pursued again.
“The Senate President stands by the well-considered and roundly appreciated the provision of the Constitution on the issue and will never subscribe to any move to amend it.
“We, therefore, enjoin members of the public to ignore the old fabricated statement mischievously attributed to the Senate President and now being circulated by mischief makers.”
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