TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says the February 23 presidential poll is his fifth and last election and he wants “to leave something behind”. 

Buhari spoke when he hosted the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and senators-elect to dinner in the presidential villa on Monday.

The president, who did not state what he would leave behind, told the lawmakers he could not do it without their support.

He said some of the actions of the 8th senate were regrettable, citing the late passage of the 2018 budget as an example.

He urged the lawmakers to place the interest of the country above their personal interests.

“This is my fifth and last time of standing for an election – for that reason I’ll like to leave something behind,” Buhari said.

“And what I want to leave cannot be successfully done without your support.

“So, that is why I’m appealing for your support. What happened in the last senate and so on is regrettable because I still feel it shouldn’t take seven months to pass a budget. You have a very, very serious job ahead of you.

“So, what I’m appealing is that any major decision you are going to take please reflect more on the country than yourself as a person – what effect will it have on the country.”

Those in attendance include Adams Oshiohmole, APC national chairman; Boss Mustapha, secretary to te government of the federation, and other presidential aides.

The governors of Kogi, Jigawa, Oyo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Osun and Lagos were also present.

Speaking to journalists after the dinner, Oshiomhole hinted that the issue of the senate leadership was discussed at the gathering.

TheCable had reported that Buhari has given the nod to Ahmad Lawan as senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila as speaker of the house of representatives in the in-coming national assembly.

“The system talks about the separation of powers between the executive and legislature and the two must handshake for things to happen,” Oshiomhole said.

“And when you have a president that is determined to drive changes, fundamental changes that will affect our habits, our life style, review the economy, deal with the security situation, fight corruption as fiercely as he is trying to do, he will need a very supportive legislative arm of government.

“And happily, the Nigerian people have given us the number in the legislative arm of government. All we have agreed today is that we will use these numbers as a functioning whole to determine the leadership of the senate in a way that we are not going to go to the floor of the senate and allow the opposition dictate who becomes the senate president.

“Because, we have comfortable majority to drive that, what we have to do is to manage that majority.’’