Yobe APC senatorial ticket holder declines stepping down for Lawan

• Machina vows not to surrender mandate

Hope of Senate President Ahmad Lawan to return to the Red Chamber in 2023 after losing his presidential ambition, may have crashed.

Lawan may be ending his 20 years parliamentary stay next year unless the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC), quickly prevails on the winner of the Yobe North senatorial primaries of his party, Sheriff Bashir Machina, to step down for the Senate President.

Lawan did not contest the Yobe North senatorial ticket because of his presidential bid which he lost to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. It was gathered that the Senate President has since started mounting pressure on the presidency and the national leadership of APC to get back his senatorial ticket.

Reports had it that all efforts by the Senate President’s cronies to convince Machina to step down for Senator Lawan failed as the senatorial candidate insisted that he would not step down, though a source said Lawan, in concert with the APC National Vice Chairman, North East, Mustapha Salihu, is trying to ‘forcefully take over’ the ticket.

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But Salihu denied this allegation saying, “I don’t interfere with local party arrangement in states. Yobe has its own unique way of primaries, which is a general consensus. “All aspirants who obtained the party’s nomination forms nationwide have filled the withdrawal forms, which is a clear consent to withdraw in case of any superior interest, and with the consent of the party stakeholders in the state.

“I’m aware that it is a national party policy for aspirants who lost the presidential ticket to return to their seats in the Senate. You can see Godswill Akpabio has already reclaimed his senatorial ticket”.

Vowing to resist any attempt yo force him to step down for Lawn, Machina, said, “As far as I’m concerned, I contested for the Yobe North senatorial ticket and I won the election. I was confirmed elected because there were other contestants but I was the one that was qualified.

I happened to be unopposed. “I am still the candidate; I have not withdrawn and I will not withdraw for anybody. I am being approached by some persons but I will not withdraw, Insha Allah.”

In the APC primaries in Yobe North, Bashir Machina, who was the sole candidate, got 289 votes and declared winner.