The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu on Wednesday, led members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to the Senate, following gale of defections by members of the National Assembly (NASS) to Opposition parties.
ASHENEWS recalls post-party primaries lamentation by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila of mass failure by members of NASS to secure their parties’ tickets for the 2023 general elections.
The defections at the Senate have so far reduced the number of APC senators from 71 to 62 with more being speculated to defect.
Penultimate week, Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) and Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) dumped the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), complaining that the state governor was all behind it.
Only on Tuesday also, Senators Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina North) and Senator Francis Alimikhena (Edo North) defected to the PDP, while Senator Lawal Yahaya Gumau (Bauchi South) defected to the NNPP.
In the past weeks, some aggrieved APC lawmakers across the country have had one reason or another to denounce their membership of the ruling party and joined other opposition parties.
The notice of their resignation and defection was contained in three separate letters read during plenary by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Earlier, the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), had left the ruling party for the PDP.
Speaking with journalists after his meeting with the leadership of NASS, the APC national chairman said: “It is an unfortunate development when it happens, but this is a season for all manners of behaviour in the political space in the country and Nigeria is not an exception.
“In every election year, this kind of subs step give cause for people, stakeholders to sneeze. Nigeria is not an exception and the APC is not an exception, so I don’t give a damn about what is happening in other parties, I care about what is happening in our party.
“You and me know that it is not just APC that this thing is happening. But because we are the ruling party, yes our problems are more prominent in the public glare.”
On his feelings about his party members leaving in droves, he said: “No responsible leader would not worry losing one member not to talk of two, three. At the moment, we are faced with the stack reality of their problems, but we are committed with my colleagues in the National Working Committee to face the problems squarely to see if the problems are solvable to solve them by the grace of God.
