Ahmad Lawan, senate president, says members of the ninth Senate will work together and distribute functions across party lines

SENATOR Orji Uzor-Kalu on Thursday hosted his roommate in the University of Maiduguri in 1980, Ahmad Lawan, senate president and Ovie Omo-Agege, his deputy, to a victory dinner.

The event, which took place at Uzor-Kalu’s residence in Abuja, was also attended by some senators, members of the diplomatic corps, among others.

Delivering his welcome remark, Uzor-Kalu (APC-Abia) said the occasion was a celebration of victory, urging all the lawmakers to see themselves as brothers by giving the necessary support that would help move Nigeria forward.

”We have the assemblage of men and women that know Nigeria very well. At the chamber, we are going to be voting on bipartisan basis to ensure a better life for Nigerians,” he said.

According to him, tonight is not a speech-making night.

”No motion is going to be moved here and no motion is going to be seconded here. All we are here for is to eat and drink,” he said.

”If President Muhammadu Buhari succeeds, you have succeeded yourselves. Therefore, there is no more excuse,” he said.

On behalf of the diplomatic community, Shimon Ben-Shoshan, ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, called on the lawmakers to put aside party differences and work for Nigeria’s progress.

The senate president, who thanked Uzor-Kalu for organising the dinner, said: ”the Nigerian project is a project of the Nigerian people and not a political party’s project and everybody must ensure that it works.

”In the 9th Senate, we are going to work together and we will distribute functions across party lines,” he said.

Lawan disclosed that the two-term governor of Abia, Uzor-Kalu, was his roommate at the University of Maiduguri in 1980.

– June 14, 2019 @ 13:25 GMT |