Senate President Ahmad Lawan, has said his support and loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari does not mean he is dumb enough to grant him unlimited term of office by amending the constitution.
Lawal who made the statement in response to a tweet attributed to him where he purportedly hinted a tenure elongation for President Muhammadu Buhari, said he cannot undermine the provisions of the constitution.
In a statement on Tuesday by the media adviser to Lawan, Ola Awoniyi, he said the Senate President’s initial reaction was to ignore the “ignoble mischief” especially since it is not new, having been posted two years ago but for the fact that it is now trending on the social media space.
“The Office of the President of the Senate has noted a tweet by one Cmr Mayor attributing a fabricated statement to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
“In the mischievous tweet, the Senate President was quoted as saying he ‘won’t mind a constitutional ammendment to allow unlimited term of office for President if President Buhari wishes to remain in office beyond 2023.’
“Our initial reaction was to ignore the ignoble mischief especially since it is not new, having been posted two years ago on 27 March 2019.
“But because the tweet has been trending again on social media, it becomes necessary to issue a formal rebutal of its purport.
“We therefore say categorically that the Senate President has never made any such statement, before or after 2019,” he said.
He noted that the old tweet which was entirely the handiwork of mischief makers was being circulated again on social media by purveyors of fake news
Lawan pointed out that the 1999 Constitution has a firm position on the tenure of the President that reflects the popular stand of Nigerians.
“Section 137(1)b states as follow: A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if (b) he has been elected to such Office at any two previous elections.
“The Senate President has never found anything wrong in that provision of the Constitution and has always stood firmly by it,” he said.
According to the statement, Lawan was among Assembly members who opposed tenure elongation attempt in 2006, and therefore, will not for any reason, go against the wishes of the overwheming majority of Nigerians.
“It is therefore ludicrous to imagine that Lawan would ever be in the vanguard of any such misadventure that is again certain to fail if ever pursued again.
“The Senate President stands by the well-considered and roundly appreciated provision of the Constitution on the issue and will never subscribe to any move to amend it.
“We, therefore, enjoin members of the public to ignore the old fabricated statement mischieviously attributed to the Senate President and now being circulated by mischief makers,” Awoniyi added.