FULL LIST: 9 APC Senators Set To Dump PDP, Give Opposition Majority In Red Chamber
Some APC senators were angered that President Buhari has failed in his fundamental responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people.
Nine senators from the All Progressives Congress (APC) are set to move to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and give the opposition party majority in the Red Chamber house.
Last week, Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President alleged that he refused to read the defection letters of some APC senators in order to block any impeachment threat against President Muhammadu Buhari.
Newsflash Nigeria learnt that if the defection letters of the APC Senators are read on the floor, the numerical strength of the ruling party will be reduced to 50 senators, which will eventually threaten Lawan’s seat as the Senate president.
The 9 APC senators are set to dump the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including:
- Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, (APC -Bauchi North)
- Senator Ladi Dadu’ut, (APC – Plateau South)
- Senator Bello Mandiya, (APC – Katsina South)
- Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, (APC – Kwara Central)
- Senator Danladi Sankara, (APC – Jigawa West)
- Senator Sabi Aliyu Abdullahi, (APC – Niger North)
- Senator Smart Adeyemi, (APC – Kogi West)
- Senator Yakubu Oseni, (APC – Kogi Central)
- Senator Halliru Dauda, (APC – Bauchi Central)
But the Senate President has denied media reports that he was sitting on letters of defection from senators which he didn’t want to announce during plenary.
The report, he said, was untrue and that the purveyors failed to investigate or seek clarification from the Senators who tendered their letters of defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC).
In a statement by the Special Adviser (Media), Mr Ola Awoniyi on Saturday, Lawan said, the parliamentary rules do not allow him to deny reading a letter from any Senator on the floor, while he advised newsmen to verify their facts before publishing.
The statement read: “We have seen a story on social media and some online newspapers purporting that the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is sitting on letters from some Senators allegedly intimating him of their defections from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The story insinuated that Lawan is sitting on the purported letters to protect his position as the President of the Senate.
“We hereby state categorically that the story is an utter falsehood as there is no such letter before the Senate President.
“The report mentioned only Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa as one of the affected Senators.
“Obviously, the purveyors of the syndicated lies had not even bothered to confirm from the Distinguished Senator if and when he submitted any such letter to the Senate President.
“It is public knowledge that the Senate President has always promptly read out at plenaries letters by Senators defecting from one party to another.
“That is why he has continued to enjoy the confidence and full cooperation of his fellow Distinguished Senators irrespective of party affiliations.
“Apparently, some vested interests want to magnify challenges to sow seeds of discord in Parliament in promotion of their selfish agenda.
“We wish to reiterate that the Senate President is not withholding or sitting on any letter of whatever content from any of his Distinguished Senator colleagues.
“Therefore, any story purporting such exists only in the imagination of the mischief-makers circulating it.”, Lawan said.
Newsflash Nigeria had reported that the senators elected on the platform of the opposition parties had on Wednesday demanded the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari over the country’s worsening security situation.
The opposition senators were at that considering removing the Senate president if he stood against the impeachment process of President Buhari.
Newsflash Nigeria learnt that some APC senators apart from 9 senators to have defected backed opposition colleagues to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari over the security challenges bedevilling the nation.
According to the report, some APC senators were angered that President Buhari has failed in his fundamental responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people.
One of the angry Senators, Elisha Abbo, who represents Adamawa North senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, made his position known on Friday in an exclusive interview with Channels Television
The lawmaker, who said he was in full support of the impeachment move against the President, stated that the Nigerian leader has failed in his fundamental responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people.
Recently, there are reports of renewed attacks by terrorists and other armed non-state actors at various locations in the country, with security operatives being killed in some cases.
Recall that senators from opposition parties staged a walkout following a call to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Philip Aduda, had raised a point of order asking the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to discuss the country’s security situation and President Buhari’s impeachment.
But Senator Lawan, who presided over the plenary, declined the request of the minority leader, saying the point of order raised fell flat on its face.
Angered by the action of the Senate President, all the lawmakers elected on the platforms of all political parties other than the All Progressives Congress (APC) walked out of the legislative chamber while the plenary was ongoing.
They later handed a six-week ultimatum to President Buhari to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country, saying they would commence impeachment proceedings against him should he fail to address the issue within the period.
While the Presidency said the lawmakers’ action was a mere threat with no effect, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives also issued a six-week ultimatum to the President to fix the nation’s security challenges.
For the calculation gathered by Newsflash Nigeria, the support of President Buhari is less than 50 senators who support him in the red chamber.
For the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the numerical strength has risen from 41 to 50 if the defection letters of the 9 APC Senators are read on the floor
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has two, with Young Progressives Party (YPP), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP) having one each.
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