2023: Bashir Machina denies handing senatorial ticket to Senate President, Ahmad Lawan

Bashir Machina, the Yobe North Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has assured that Ahmad Lawan, President of the Senate, has no plan to return to the Senate in 2023.

Machina insisted he would not surrender the ticket to Lawan, saying that the senator would not have contested the party’s presidential primary if he had the ambition of returning to the Senate.

Lawan, had contested for the APC presidential ticket but lost to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the primary election.

Report has it that Lawan is seeking a transfer of the Senatorial ticket secured by Machina to him to return to the Senate.

Speaking on Politics, a current affairs programme on Channels Television on Wednesday, Machina explained, “The pressure is more or less speculative. There wasn’t any clear-cut person or message directly that says I should step down but from the headquarters of my party (APC), recently I was informed that if I was still in the race, I should write formally to inform the party that I am.”

He further explained that the letter that trended online was his response to the request from an unnamed caller from the national headquarters of the APC.

He stated that he formally wrote a letter to the party, reiterating and affirming his position that he is still the candidate; that he did not withdraw, and he is in the race in the event that anybody is contemplating or doubting that there is any move.

“And when I contested for Senate, Lawan did not participate (in the primary) or did not contest (for Senate). So, I don’t think that may be in any way an issue,” he explained.