By Nimi Princewill.
The Senate Majority Leader and frontline contender for the Senate Presidency, Senator Ahmed Lawan has said that the National Assembly under his leadership will not be a “rubber stamp” of President Muhammadu Buhari if he gets the nod of the senate to lead the Ninth Assembly.
Senator Lawan, who spoke to journalists yesterday (Saturday), also indicated his lack of interest in playing to the gallery of the executive if elected senate president.
Recall that President Buhari and the top hierarchy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had endorsed Lawan to replace the outgoing Senate President Bukola Saraki who was ousted at the polls.
Although, the Yobe Senator acknowledged his strong admiration for President Muhammadu Buhari, he said his loyalty would be to the upper legislative chamber.
“I won’t deny it; I am a president Buhari man. I believe in him and I believe in my party because of the ideals they stand for. But if you believe in someone and they have an issue that you think can be carried out in a certain way other than the way it was presented, suggesting you go the other way demonstrates that you are really for that person.
“So my support for the president, for example, must not be misconstrued as going to make the national assembly a rubber stamp if I am senate president.
“The function of the legislature is for the members of the legislature in majority to take a decision after a debate or whatever; then the minority would have had their say and the decision goes to the majority. You cannot as a presiding officer say no, I am not going to go with that position. Else you will be sacked,” he said.