TRACKING>>The coast got clearer for Dr. Ahmed Lawan on Saturday in his quest to become the next Senate President following his endorsement for the race by no fewer than 61 Senators-elect .
Sixty of those who have signed to vote for him on Tuesday are his colleagues in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The only senator elect from the Young People’s Party (YPP), Ifeanyi Uba, has also keyed into the project, according to Secretary of the Lawan Campaign Organisation but their names are being kept secret for ‘strategic reasons.”
But Lawan expressed confidence that he could garner about 35 to 38 votes from the PDP Caucus.
The endorsement list was unveiled by the Chairman of the Lawan Campaign Organisation, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi and Secretary, Senator Barau Jibrin at a crowded briefing in Abuja.
The signatories include Senator Danjuma Goje who stood down for Lawan on Thursday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, ex-governors Ibikunle Amosun, Ibrahim Gaidam, Kashim Shettima, and Umar Tanko Al-Makura. The APC has 62 Senators-elect.
But Lawan’s only opponent, Alhaji Ali Ndume, said Satuday that he was not bothered by the number of endorsements received by Lawan.
He said he was more concerned about receiving votes that would make him Senate President.
Jibrin told reporters in Abuja that only two APC senators elect have not signed the Lawan Project.
He said: “The APC is the immediate base of Senator Ahmad Lawan. They have signed some of them have even come out to show their endorsement for him.
“When you take away the three senators from Zamfara, we now have 61 but 60 are APC senators-elect and one is YPP.
“In total the APC senators-elect in total are 62, those who have not signed for us are only two. You can guess those people.”
He then proceeded to name the pro-Lawan Senators elect as follows:
*Adamu Aliero (Kebbi central)
* Barau Jibrin (Kano north)
*Francis Alimikhena (Edo north)
*Solomon Adeola (Lagos west)
*Aliyu Abdullahi (Niger north)
*Olubunmi Adetumbi (Ekiti North)
*Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East)
*Robert Borrofice (Ondo North)
*Sadiq Umar (Kwara North)
*Yakubu Oseni (Kogi central)
*Adelere Orilowo (Osun west)
*Biobarakuma Degi-Eremenyo (Bayelsa East)
*Bulus Amos (Gombe south)
*Hezekiah Dimka (Plateau central)
*Ignatius Longstan (Plateau south)
*Halliru Jika (Bauchi central)
*Kabiru Gaya (Kano south)
*Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central)
*Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West)
*Umaru Al-Makura (Nasarawa South)
*Danladi Sankara (Jigawa north-west)
*Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia (Jigawa North East)
*Kashim Shettima (Borno Central)
*Sabo Mohammed (Jigawa South-West)
*Godiya Akwashuki (Nasarawa North)
*Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central)
*Buhari Abdulfatai (Oyo North)
*Adedayo Adeyeye (Ekiti South)
*Bello Mandiya (Katsina South)
*Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North)
*Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South)
*Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (Taraba Central)
*Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central)
*David Umaru (Niger East)
*Isah Jibrin (Kogi East)
*Suleiman Abdu Kwari (Kaduna North)
*Ashiru Yisa (Kwara South)
*Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe East)
*Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina North)
*Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra South)
*Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto North)
*Lawal Yahaya (Bauchi South)
*A.M. Bulkachuwa (Bauchi North)
*Ashiru Ahmed (Adamawa Central)
*Michael Bamidele (Ekiti Central)
*Olalekan Mustapha (Ogun East)
*Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central)
*Abubakar Kyari (Borno North)
*Teslim Folarin (Oyo Central)
*Uba Sani (Kaduna Central)
*Abubakar Shehu (Sokoto South)
*Tolu Odebiyi (Ogun West)
*Orji Uzor-Kalu (Abia North)
*Kabir Barkiya (Katsina Central)
*Bima Muhammad Enagi (Niger South)
*Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano Central)
*Ibrahim Oloriegbe (Kwara Central)
*Osinowo Adebayo (Lagos East)
*Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central)
*Saidu Alkali (Gombe North)
*Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North)
Five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators elect showed up at Friday’s presentation of Lawan’s ‘Blueprint for a Senate and National Assembly that will meet the expectations of Nigerians’ in Abuja.
They are Mr. Abba Moro (Benue South), Mathew Urhoghide (Edo South),Clifford Ordia (Edo Central) , Gershom Bassey (Cross River South) ,and Lawal Anka (Zamfara West).
Mr. Patrick Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta North) had, at a different forum, declared support for Lawan.
