Buhari refuses to congratulate Saraki, Dogara.

President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to congratulate the new leaders of the national assembly, saying he would have wished they had toed the party line. 


But he reiterated his desire to work with “whoever the lawmakers elected” and asked the national assembly to now focus on the “enormous task” ahead. 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had preferred Ahmad Lawan as senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila as speaker following a straw poll it held at the weekend. 

But Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, both endorsed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won respectively. 

In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, said the “president would rather that the process of electing the leaders as initiated and concluded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been  followed. Nonetheless the President took the view that a constitutional process has somewhat occurred. 

“President Buhari had said in an earlier statement that he did not have any preferred candidate for the Senate and the House of Representatives, and that he was willing to work with whoever the lawmakers elected. 

“That sentiment still stands. Though he would have preferred the new leaders to have emerged through the process established by the party.” 

Adesina said the stability of “our constitutional order” and overall interest of the common man were uppermost on the president’s mind “as far as the national assembly elections were concerned”. 

“The president called on all the elected representatives of the people to focus on the enormous task of bringing enduring positive change to the lives of Nigerians,” Adesina said. 

However, Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president and a national leader of APC, has congratulated the winners.