Moments ago, Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan, a senator who represents
the All Progressive Congress in the Yobe North Constituency of Yobe State
emerged as Nigeria's new Senate President.
Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan was born in 1959 and became a senator in
2007. He received a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of
Maiduguri, a master's degree in remote sensing from Ahmadu Bello University and
a doctorate degree in remote sensing/GIS from Cranfield University, UK.
He was elected to the House of Representatives for the
northern state of Yobe in 1999, at different times Lawan chaired the House
Committees on education and agriculture. In 2008, he was a member of the
National Assembly's Joint Committee on Constitution Review.
In 2009, as chairman of the Senate committee on Public
Accounts, Lawan initiated and sponsored the Desertification Control Commission
Bill. In August 2009, Senator Lawan spoke against the proposed Kafin Zaki Dam.
He stated that the Tiga Dam and Challawa Gorge Dam had already reduced water
flow drastically, and the Jama'are River was now the main source of water in
the Yobe River. He said the dams caused intense poverty, increased desert
encroachment, migration and conflicts between arable farmers and herdsmen.
Lawan ran for re-election in Yobe North Senatorial District
on the ANPP platform in the 9 April 2011 elections. He won with 92,799 votes,
trailed by Hassan Kafayos Hussaini of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) with
76,960 votes.
After meeting with President Buhari on Thursday, June 6,
2019, Senator Danjuma Goje stepped down for Senator Lawan from the Senate
Presidency race.
