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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Suleiman Sumaila Kawu, has said that supporters of former governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’aziz Yari, in the senate presidency election held on June 13, accepted the outcome of the poll because the process was free, fair and transparent.
Kawu, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), stated this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja.
Recall that former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, polled 63 votes to defeat Yari, who had 46 votes.
Speaking on Akpabio’s victory, Kawu said Yari’s supporters were not interested in who won the election, but in ensuring transparency in the process.
He explained that those who supported Yari commended and congratulated him for accepting defeat, pointing out that such a gesture was an indication that they were genuine democrats.
According to the lawmaker, Yari’s supporters did not feel betrayed by the outcome because they saw a free and fair process, adding that it was a dogged fight in which their candidate (Yari) got 46 votes.
Kawu also stated that the group had resolved to support Akpabio to ensure he succeeds while embarking on constructive opposition, promising that they would not oppose what would bring happiness to Nigerians, but would resist anything that negates the advancement of democracy.
“We congratulated our candidate for accepting defeat. That is what qualifies us as democrats. Secondly, we were not very much interested in who will win the election. We were rather fighting for the rule of law and all constitutional requirements to be respected in the process that would lead to the emergence of the leadership of the Senate. And we are happy that the process was open, transparent, and in tandem with the convention of the parliament.
“So, we accepted the outcome of the election and we are ready to work with the Senate President and give him our support. People are asking if we are feeling betrayed, and my response is that there is nothing like betrayal because it is politics.
“We fought a very strong fight, and even the President of the Senate commended us for our doggedness in the battle. He commended us on how we were able to secure 46 votes because it was not an easy task. So, he commended us and Nigerians commended us too.
“As opposition, we are going to be doing constructive engagement, constructive opposition; not to oppose what will bring happiness to Nigerians. We will oppose anything that negates the advancement of democracy, and which will not bring positive results to the people we represent.
“Well, as a matter of convention, whenever a new parliament is inaugurated, a welfare committee is usually constituted to look into the welfare of members and officers, to ensure that they are provided with a conducive environment to effectively discharge their constitutional responsibilities. I thank God that the people appointed to the Senate Welfare Committee are people of integrity.
“So, we have confidence that they will work seriously within their limited time frame, to ensure that a conducive working environment is made available for the lawmakers to enable them do the work for which Nigerians elected them to represent them in the parliament,” he said.