Rochas Okorocha, an outgoing senator representing Imo West Federal Constituency, has mocked outgoing Senate President Ahmad Lawan on the circumstances surrounding his return to the senate without duly participating in his party’s primary elections.
During the valedictory session of the 9th Senate, Okorocha said: “I did not contest for the senate this period. I only contested for the office of the president. You are a very smart politician. How you came back to the Senate is another chapter in our political history that we need to discuss.
“I was there in the field with you running for president, I never knew how you were able to meander, leaving some of us. Next time you must teach me how to do that.”
The former Imo State Governor was referring to Lawan’s botched attempt to contest the presidency under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lawan and Okorocha both contested for the presidential ticket of their party, the ruling APC. However, while Lawan will be part of the 10th senate under very controversial circumstances, Okorocha isn’t.
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Lawan’s participation in the APC presidential primaries, which he lost to now-President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, made him ineligible to contest for the Yobe North senatorial ticket of the APC, according to the electoral act.
In accordance with the law, Bashir Machina, Lawan’s placeholder, was declared winner of the APC primaries as supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, the Supreme Court in a controversial judgment, ruled that Lawan was the authentic candidate for the Yobe North senatorial district.
In response to Okorocha’s mockery, Lawan said that his constituents and party stakeholders had appealed on his behalf up to the Supreme Court.
“I didn’t even appeal the judgement that did not give me the contest. The party and the stakeholders appealed on my behalf up to the supreme court, so there is nothing critical or remarkable. In fact, you have nothing to learn from it,” Lawan said.
