Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Abubakar Kyari, deputy national chairman (North) of the party, on Tuesday, resigned their membership of the Senate.
Until his election as APC National Chairman on March 26, Adamu represented Nasarawa West Senatorial District, while Kyari represented Borno North District before his emergence as the ruling party’s deputy national chairman.
Ahmad Lawan, president of the Senate, read the resignation letters of both former lawmakers at resumed plenary.
While Adamu headed the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Kyari was in charge of the Committee on Federal Capital Territory.
Adamu’s letter reads: “It is with utmost respect and appreciation I inform you that consequent upon my victory as national chairman at the just-concluded convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, on the 26th of March, 2022, I hereby resign formally as the Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District with effect from 1st April, 2022.
“I feel a sense of duty and obligation to convey through this letter, my appreciation for the cooperation and guidance I received from you as chairman of the National Assembly throughout my official and private association with you.
“As I leave the Senate, I cannot easily forget the change and style of leadership that you brought since becoming the Senate President of the Ninth Senate. Your ability to forge the deep-rooted bi-partisan approach on all issues which you chaired deliberations speaks volumes of your chemistry as a leader.”
Adamu said: “Since your assumption of the chairmanship of the National Assembly, you have worked so hard for the Assembly to be seen to work with the government and not against it.
“Indeed, you have roundly proved at every stage that the three arms of government are truly arms of the same national government. You have stirred the National Assembly to do the bidding of our great party without prejudice to the other parties irrespective of their representation.
“In so doing, you have been able not to only carry your colleagues at the leadership level of the Senate, but endeavored to be a family head in the real sense of the word to all members of the ninth Senate.
“My resignation will leave me with full memories of the solidarity and camaraderie that you have been able to forge over the eleven years I’ve been in the Senate.
“To say I will miss you and my colleagues in the ninth Senate will be an understatement, but I gain consolation in the fact that my call to a higher pedestal of service will keep us all within reach of one another.”
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In another development, Rotimi Amaechi, presidential aspirant and minister of transportation, has said that if elected the APC presidential flag bearer and eventually wins in the general election, he would bring his wealth of experience to bear in securing, and advancing the nation’s economy.
Amaechi explained that having been in public office for over two decades, he possessed the requisite knowledge and technical know-how to tackle insecurity, and provide better governance for Nigerians.
He made the promise when he paid a courtesy visit on the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari at the Katsina State Government House, Monday.
Amaechi, while also recounting his achievements as Rivers State governor, said he was able to tackle insecurity, champion development and stabilise the Rivers economy, assuring that such feat would be replicated if he is elected for the country’s topmost job.
He said, “Your Excellency, you are the first Governor I’m visiting after declaring to run for the President of Nigeria in 2023; I will visit others as I progress with my consultations.
I have visited three to four Emirates, two in the area you superintend over, and two in Kano. I have come to also brief you on how far we’ve gone with the railway assignment given to us by Mr President. And the third reason is to tell you that I am interested to run for the office of the President of Nigeria.
“I think I’m qualified, and I happen to be the only candidate in the race who governed a state where there was militancy; so I have experience of how to manage militancy. Between six months and one year of occupying the office of governor of the state, the militancy reduced tremendously.
Schools were opened, market women were able to go back to the markets, kidnapping reduced drastically and business returned. Foreign companies came back, Shell reopened; in fact, by the time I was leaving, Total was trying to transfer their headquarters to Port Harcourt.
“Unfortunately, when I left, they couldn’t manage it; so Total moved back to Abuja. But LNG returned their headquarters to Port Harcourt during my tenure as governor; Shell relocated their headquarters to Port Harcourt.
So we have experience, for somebody who has been in office for eight years as governor, eight years as Speaker, seven years as minister; I chaired the Governors’ Forum, I chaired the Speakers’ Forum, I also was the DG of the campaign of President Buhari twice. I would bring that experience to bear if given the opportunity.
“For me, the governors are critical in getting that opportunity and there’s need to talk to your colleagues to assist us to achieve that objective.”
Responding, Masari said he had no doubt about the minister’s leadership qualities. He also used the occasion to wish him well in his political aspirations.
“To me, you are not a person that needs any introduction. We have come a long way.
I have no doubt in your character and in your ability and in your inclusiveness. We have discussed this privately, now you have come to formally declare your intention to contest for the office of the President of your country, which I feel you are qualified, and I hope you will play politics like a modern politician, because the way our politics is being played for quite some time, there is need for change of attitude, change of approach, change of style, so that we should treat the current situation of today with today’s solutions, not today’s problem with yesterday’s solutions.”
