N’ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP: Ndume says, ‘I’m not a loser’, demands praise from APC

Senator Ali Ndume, who disobeyed his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to contest for the President of the 9th Senate, has said he was not a loser.

The senator from Borno South said he considers himself as a winner and deserves commendation from the APC because his insistence in contesting for the position saved the APC from appearing as a non-democratic party.

Despite APC’s open adoption of Ahmed Lawan as its preferred candidate for the position, Lawan had vowed to contest for the position in disobedience to APC and he did.

However, he was defeated by Lawan who scored a total vote of 79 votes out of 107 votes from the new lawmakers.

Ndume, who got 28 votes, addressing newsmen after the election, said he has nothing to regret over the outcome of the election.

“Party or democracy without election is not democracy. That is why it is very important to stand for and defend the constitution. Section 50 (1), that the Senators shall elect the senate president and his deputy from among themselves and that was what happened. When they did that election, I got 28 or thereabout, that is democracy in action, no matter the imperfection.

“I insisted on secret balloting because in democracy, an election must be seen to be free and fair and this election was conducted freely and fairly through the open secret balloting which gives credibility to the process.

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“If I had agreed with the anointment of Ahmad Lawan as the Senate President, in line with the directive of the party, there won’t have been an election and it would have dented the image of the party and the government. That is why I don’t see myself as a loser. I have won and I think the party should commend me,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate said it will resume sitting on Thursday, June 13.

Ebere Ndukwu…

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