2023: Lawan Fails To Make INEC’s Final List

Senate President, Ahmed Lawan has been excluded from the final list of senatorial candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr Lawan and Sheriff Bashir Machina have at loggerheads over the Yobe North senate ticket ticket in the 2023 general elections.

On Tuesday, the commission published the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates of the 18 registered political parties in the country.

Mr Lawan, who was elected into the National Assembly since 1999, has been struggling to retrieve the Yobe North senate ticket after he lost out at the APC presidential primaries.

Despite being anointed as the ruling party’s preferred candidate by the APC national chairman Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Lawan suffered a humiliating defeat after he came a distant fourth with 152 votes against Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s 1,271 winning votes.

Mr Rotimi Amaechi came second with 316 votes, while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came third with 235 votes.

However, after losing the bid to secure the party’s presidential ticket, Mr Lawan aided by the party’s leadership, moved to return to the senate.

Mr Machina who was the sole candidate in the senatorial primary secured 289 votes and was declared the party’s candidate.

But Machina, who confirmed that he has been approached by some persons to step down for Lawan, however vowed not to withdraw from the race.