10th Senate Presidency: Lawan should also support my ambition, if zoned to N-Central —Senator Musa

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10th Senate Presidency: Lawan should also support my ambition, if zoned to N-Central —Senator Musa

AHEAD of the inauguration of the 10th Senate, the Chairman, of the Senate Services Committee, Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East, has asked the incumbent, Ahmad Lawan, to support his quest to succeed him.

Speaking yesterday on the Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Senator Musa, who was re-elected during the February 25 National Assembly election, described himself as a very loyal party man.

While noting that he was as qualified as any of the aspirants for the position of Senate President, he described himself as a bridge builder, technologically experienced and well-exposed federal lawmaker.

Asked about his relationship with Ahmad Lawan, Musa said also that his personal relationship with the incumbent would not affect his aspiration if the Yobe Senator decided to seek a second term in office.

Musa said his loyalty was first to the people of Niger East, and Niger State particularly and then to his geo-political zone and Nigeria at large.

‘’My aspiration has nothing to do with my personal relationship with anybody in the Senate. I am here to represent my constituency. By virtue of my aspiration, I am to represent the North Central. My relationship with the Senat President is a respected one. I respect him and I will continue to respect him.

“He has led the National Assembly and he did very well. If the Senate President is zoned to the North Central, he will support me because I am also supporting his as the current Senate President.”

On the national chairman being from North Central, the senator said: “The zoning arrangements in the National Assembly has nothing to do with the APC Constitution. It also has nothing to do with the Nigerian constitution. It is a gentleman’s agreement.”

Musa went down memory lane to recall various times the North Central had produced the senate president and the national chairman at the same time, adding said that the North Central deserved the position of the Senate President in the 10th National Assembly because the geopolitical zone contributed immensely to the emergence of Tinubu with massive votes.

On his controversial Social Media Bill, Senator Musa dismissed every misinterpretation of the bill, explaining everyone must be held accountable for what he/she posted and said on social media.

He said: “I have never proposed any bill to gag freedom of speech. The bill is meant to regulate social media usage by spelling out the red lines that should not be crossed.

‘’We must make sure we endeavour, as citizens, to exercise our freedom of speech in such a manner that it does not infringe on other people’s right to live. I am a man who spends hours on social media and, therefore, cannot see an end to it, Rather, it should be regulated so that responsible commentaries abide on the social media space.”

On his background, Musa said he was a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University and served in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, worked and later ventured into business.

On religion, Senator Musa said the only condition that could make him consider the position of the Deputy Senate President was if a competent Christian aspirant convinced him to step down with genuine reasons.

Musa, who described Nigeria as a secular nation and stressed the need to ensure a balance between the two main religions in the country, said the tension that heralded the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate and his running mate, should be avoided in the race for the Senate Presidency.