By Oluwaseun Sonde
Nigerian Senate President and All Progressive Party Presidential APC Aspirant, Ibrahim Lawan has asked Nigerians to judge him on what he can offer but not as a northern aspirant ahead of APC primaries that comes later this month.
The Senate President Lawan made this known when he was in Katsina State on Thursday to seek support of Party members particularly the delegates for his presidential bid over the coming primaries.
According to him, "While in Katsina, I took the opportunity to inform Nigerians that I am not running as a northern aspirant because of the impression created is that I'm a northern aspirant or that northerners are saying they are not going to allow power to the South.
"I'm not running as a northern candidate. I'm running as a Nigerian Presidential aspirant and therefore I come with all my qualifications for that office and people should judge me on the basis of what I have to offer", the Senate President said.
Lawan who said he has been in the system for sometime. "Thank God from 2019, we have been working with the President of our Party, President Muhammadu Buhari, very closely. I know and I understand most of the national issues that we deal with.
"I'm a participant in this government and I use that as one advantage that I have. Even though I'm a parliamentarian, I have experience in governance. Real experience. Therefore, we are going round to tell Nigerians that we are available".
Senate President stated the fact that he came out last, speaks volumes. "I didn't just wake up one morning and say I want to be President. It took a lot of time for those who believe in me to talk to me to also throw my hat in the ring.
"And after some time, I accepted. And that is to say that some people are not satisfied with those they are seeing and they think that we can do better. I have a great deal of respect for those who are running. The other aspirants", Lawan said.
He believed that he has advantages and he's going to use the advantages by the Grace of God to not only to emerge as the candidate of the party but also to win the general elections.
"And I'm not running like someone from the northeast, I'm running as a Nigerian because I believe that I understand the issues of Nigeria's development today", the Senate President said.
Lawan noted that as a participant in this administration, he know that this administration succeeded in some ways and has not succeeded as much in others and therefore, those areas in which succeeded, it's for him to continue to build on them.
While those areas that the administration found themselves in deficit, that they have not been able to succeed as much, it's for him to work on them. "I am a product of this administration and my party and therefore I commit myself to the ideals of my party.
"I commit myself to the ideals of this administration because it takes every effort by everyone to bring development. "Mr President will be finishing his term in 2023 as we all know but his ideals are there and his ideals are to develop our country", Lawan added.
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