Senate President Ahmad Lawan has denied claims that some senators of the All Progressives Congress submitted defection letter which he refused to read at the floor of the Senate.
He spoke in a statement by Ola Awoniyi, his media aide, saying that no letter has been submitted to him by any senator.
He stated this in reaction to media reports on Friday that no fewer than 12 APC senators had submitted their defection letters to the Senate president but he refused to read them over fear of being removes in the upper chamber.
In the statement this weekend, Awoniyi, denying the allegations, said, “We have seen a story on social media and some online newspapers purporting that the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is sitting on letters from some senators allegedly intimating him of their defections from the All Progressives Congress.
“The story insinuated that Lawan is sitting on the purported letters to protect his position as the President of the Senate. We hereby state categorically that the story is utter falsehood as there is no such letter before the Senate President.
“Obviously, the purveyors of the syndicated lies had not even bothered to confirm from the Distinguished Senator if and when he submitted any such letter to the Senate President. It is public knowledge that the Senate President has always promptly read out at plenary letters by senators defecting from one party to another.
“The Senate President is sufficiently knowledgeable about the rules and workings of the Senate and has been discharging his responsibilities within the ambit of those rules.
“That is why he has continued to enjoy the confidence and full cooperation of his fellow Distinguished Senators, irrespective of party affiliations.”
Awoniyi further said that such rumours were just meant to sow the seed of discord in the parliament.
“Apparently, some vested interests want to magnify challenges to sow seeds of discord in the Parliament in promotion of their selfish agenda.
“We wish to reiterate that the Senate President is not withholding or sitting on any letter of whatever content from any of his Distinguished Senator colleagues.
“Therefore, any story purporting such exists only in the imagination of the mischief makers circulating it,” the statement added.
