The ambition of Senator Bukola Saraki to become the next Senate President further received a boost as he has been described as the most detribalised legislator, with the most administrative experience over other contenders for the position.

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi made this statement while speaking with journalists on the sideline during a one-day retreat for lawmakers-elect on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt last Monday.

Nwaoboshi, who represents Delta North senatorial district in the National Assembly, also described Saraki as a principled and firm lawmaker who cannot be dictated to.

“We must quit playing with mundane things. At this point in our national history and in the bid to further entrench the ethos of democracy, as it concerns the principle of separation of power, we all agreed that competent and capable hands must be elected or put in position of authority.

“In that respect, Saraki is the most qualified person to occupy the seat of the Senate President. He is a detribalised Nigerian. He was once the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and in that position, he was able to hold the various governors from different political parties together.

“He is not somebody who can just be dictated to. This means he will not allow any external force to dictate to us in the Senate. He has done it before, even in Kwara State.

“If you remember, there was a time the younger sister wanted to run for the governorship seat in the state but Saraki put his feet down and said: ‘No. For the sake of justice and equity, I will not be in support of that’.

Meanwhile, as the battle for the senate presidency rages on, the Saraki caucus has been accused of peddling falsehood to secure the position for the Kwara lawmaker.

Making the allegation yesterday, former governor of Kebbi State, Senator Adamu Aliero, in a press statement he personally signed, said claims by the Saraki group that they enjoy the support of the North-west is false.

“I have read with surprising disgust the story published in one of the national dailies in which infantile claims were made about the purported blanket support secured by Saraki from the North-west for his senate presidency ambition. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

“I want to state categorically that the North-west of which I’m a member has not given such a blanket support to Saraki.  The story published in the paper titled, ‘Senate Presidency: Saraki Consolidates as Lawan’s Group Hits the Rock,’ was riddled with innuendos, half-truths and political incantations of no value,” he said.

Aliero maintained that the Senator Lawan group remains in strong contention and would not go to the extent of disparaging anyone through sponsored stories that are fabrications and aimed at misleading the unsuspecting public.