Video: I won’t withdraw for Senate President, Machina insists amidst pressure

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe North Senatorial District, Bashir Sheriff Machina, has insisted that he won’t relinquish his ticket to Senate President Ahmed Lawan.

Machina said this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Lawan joined the race for Presidency ahead of 2023 but lost the primaries to former Lagos Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Machina who has now won the ticket for Yobe North Senatorial District, says he’s been asked by members of the party if he is still in the race.

He, however, maintained that he is still in the race and has no plan to give up the ticket.

In another interview with Leadership, Machina said he had been approached by some people to step down for Senate President Ahmad Lawan, but that he would not.

Lawan had contested the presidential ticket of the party but lost to a former Lagos governor and national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.

He had been representing Yobe North Senatorial District at the National Assembly for 15 years.

In the interview, Machina said Lawan had no right to the ticket, saying he wanted to go into the National Assembly to improve upon his performance.

“We were lucky that our senator became the Senate President. By becoming the Senate President there’s nothing… Any Senator can be the Senate President. I may likely be the next Senate President. Who knows? I was in the National Assembly long before Ahmad,” said Machina who was first elected a Federal Lawmaker in 1990.

He insisted that he was still in the race and is not willing to relinquish his ticket.

He said, “Surely, I am not going back. I wrote letter to the party to say I am staying in the race. There is nowhere in the party guidelines that says the ticket should at any time be given to some one that didn’t participate in the primary,” he said.