The transfers window on Tuesday 24th July 2018 saw numbers of APC members moved to PDP, although this sound cool but its a disgrace to the nation.
Enjoy the full story.
A gale of defection on Tuesday hit the National Assembly with 37 members of the House of Representatives and 14 senators leaving the All Progressives Congress.
But President Muhammadu Buhari while reacting to the defection from the APC in the National Assembly said it would not impact negatively on the party.
Buhari said this in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Shehu quoted the President as urging members of the APC not to despair over the development which he described as a “seasonal occurrence.”
He then wished the lawmakers who left the party well in their future endeavours.
The statement read, “President Buhari assured members of the APC of his total support and urged party faithful not to despair but to see the defections as a seasonal occurrence that happens on election eve.
“He expressed confidence that no harm or injury will be done to the party and its aspirations by the movements. President Buhari wished all the defected members the best in their future undertakings.”
Buhari also expressed his total commitment to the values of democracy, freedom of choice as well as total willingness to work with all members of the National Assembly, irrespective of their political party, for the benefit of the nation.
He noted that none of the defecting federal lawmakers had any specific grievances against him or his government.
But the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday met with President Buhari a few hours after some members of the party in the National Assembly dumped the party.
Oshiomhole told State House correspondents at the end of the meeting with the President that he and the party were not disturbed by the gale of defection.
He said, “My attitude is like I have told you before, as the National Chairman, I am committed to listening to very legitimate grievances and engaging all those who are aggrieved that we can see through their grievances, but I insist that I will not miss sleep for one minute over mercenary activities.
“I have said it and I want to repeat it that this business of governance must be driven by men and women of honour.
“If the only motivation is personal interest; ‘what is in it for me?’ ‘What have I gained?’ and ‘How many people have I done xyz for?’ If that is the basis, the earlier those in this business of personal gains return to where they belong, the better.
“This party that I am privileged to chair is not worried at all, we are not disturbed. I am not going to miss my sleep and we will go into the campaign.
“Check the electoral results, you will find that a lot of those who claimed to have defected, on a good day, the votes they got that made them members of the Senate, our President got much more votes in their constituencies. So, we are not fooled at all.
“The thing going on is that you have a lot of so-called big masqueraders with very little and no electoral value.”
Oshiomhole said he had tried his best in trying to give comfort to those who claimed to be aggrieved.
He however said he would not appease those who had other hidden agendas that were not negotiable.
He said those under such category were those who expected a level of personal return and the system was not delivering.
The party chairman said he was happy that over time, water would find its level.
He added, “If you remember what I said the day I formally declared my interest to contest; I said to be a progressive party means we must be clear that it cannot be a party for everyone.
“We have to be sure that you subscribe to the values and ideals of a progressive party. If indeed you belong to the extreme right, and you mistakenly find yourself in a progressive party, obviously that is not where you belong.
“As soon as you realise that you can’t adjust to the requirement of the progressive, which is people-driven, people-based, people-oriented and you choose to return to the right wing where you know that the name of the game is, share the money, it is your choice.”
On the adjournment of Senate plenary, Oshiomhole said it was their choice if the lawmakers found it more politically convenient to suspend the process of legislation ahead of time because it was not convenient for their political interests.
He also said he was not privy to the circumstances surrounding the reported siege at the houses of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, hence he could not comment on it.
“To be very honest with you, it is better you formalise where you belong and be properly identified by your father’s name than purporting to bear my name and you are working for my opponent.
“Every observer knows that there has been opposition to this APC government, that opposition has come within the ranks of members of the APC, some in the National Assembly.
“I mean, how can we be in the majority for example and we use that majority to elect opposition to take the number two slots in our own party? How could we have been in the majority and the President makes nominations and those nominations are lying on the floor of the Senate and the Senate will not confirm those nominations?
“Even if that Senate was formally led by the opposition, the issue will be much clearer. But they have become much more complicated when those refusing to confirm the nominees purport to be members of our party. The earlier everybody properly identifies where he belongs in my view, the better.
“It is not in anybody’s interest, certainly not in the national interest that we continue to patch this democracy in a way that birds that are incompatible find themselves in the same nest.
“The point I have been trying to make is that we need to build a political party that goes beyond the platform for election. So, if you find that you can’t win because there is somebody in your constituency in the same party then you jump to other party so that you can win. And once the election is over we wait for the next four years, that’s not good enough,” he added.
In the Senate, 14 members of the party had earlier announced their defection from the ruling party. While 13 of them defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, one moved to the African Democratic Congress inspired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, read a letter from the defectors at the plenary.
The lawmakers said the decision was taken “after due consultation with our constituents and stakeholders in our constituencies, in proper recognition of Section 61(1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution, and for the fact that our party, the All Progressives Congress, is now factionalised.”
Saraki read the names of the defectors as Senators Rabi’u Kwankwaso (Kano-Central), Dino Melaye (Kogi-West), Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo-Central), Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara-South), Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna-North), and Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun-Central).
Others are Usman Nafada (Gombe-North), Ibrahim Dambaba (Sokoko-South), Ubale Shittu (Jigawa North-East) ,Isa Misau (Bauchi-Central), Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi-North), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara-North), Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-East) and Adesoji Akanbi (Oyo South).
Akanbi however denied dumping the APC, stating that his name was put on the list in error. He also showed journalists a copy of the votes and proceedings after the plenary, which showed that he was not listed among the defectors.
Saraki separately announced the defection of Abdul-Azeez Murtala-Nyako (Adamawa-Central) from the APC. The lawmaker had recently announced his defection from the APC to the ADC, also formalised his defection.
Before Tuesday, the APC caucus had 64 members; the PDP caucus had 42, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance had one.
Two seats are vacant. They are those of senators Ali Wakili (Bauchi-South) and Mustapha Bukar (Katsina-North), who died a few months ago. Both of them were APC members.
Based on the number of lawmakers who have written to the Senate to formalise their defection, the PDP now has the majority with 55 members, with the APC having 50, and APGA and ADC having Senators Victor Umeh (Anambra-Central) and Murtala-Nyako, respectively.
Senators Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo) and Fatimah Raji-Rasaki (PDP, Ekiti) have yet to declare on the floor to formalise their defection to the APC but have been attending the party’s meetings and events.
Also, Senator Sunny Ogbuoji (PDP, Ebonyi) had recently introduced himself as the “the newest catch” of the APC when the National Working Committee of the party met with the Senate Caucus. He has yet to declare it in plenary.
Similarly, Stella Oduah (PDP, Anambra) has joined APGA in Anambra State but has yet to make a formal declaration.
After the announcement, the Majority Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said, “The APC, our party, certainly has its own internal challenges. We have internal disagreements. The disagreements do not translate into ‘factionalisation.’
“I therefore feel that our senators and others of the APC stock do not have to move to any other party. I also believe that because the issues are under serious discussions by the major stakeholders, leaders and elders of this party, I will ask that, that announcement be quarantined.”
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