President Muhammadu Buhari may get a minority in the upper chamber as some senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have backed the move by his 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.
Newsflash Nigeria gathered that the APC in the Red Chamber has reduced from 64 to 62 in the upper chamber.
It was learnt that 12 APC senators have submitted the defection letter to the Senate President but Ahmed Lawan refused to read the defection letter 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.
Apart from 12 senators to have defected, some senators from the ruling party have backed the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari.
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
He spoke on the sideline of the APC Northern Christian Leaders summit held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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.
On Wednesday, 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 39 to 41 but if the defection letters of the APC 12 Senators are read on the floor, the numerical strength of the PDP will be increased to 53 senators.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has two, with Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) having one each. Two senate seats are vacant.
