Senate President should be shown the way out of APC - Deputy spokesman

Nabena's call for the dismissal of Saraki was contained in a statement titled 'Time to Expel Saraki from APC.'

Nabena's statement on the call to expel the Senate President from the APC was released in Abuja on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - many hours after the defection of 15 APC senators and 37 lawmakers from the House of Representatives.

The APC deputy spokesman accused Saraki of being the ringleader of the lawmakers that defected on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 saying there is no justification for APC’s continued toleration of Saraki.

ALSO READ: Buhari meets APC senators after Melaye, Kwankwaso's exit

Nabena's statement reads:

“The news of the about 15 senators who reportedly defected from our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), today hardly came as a surprise to anyone, not least the APC leadership. What however, shocked political observers, especially democratic minds, was Senate President Bukola Saraki’s postures and expressions, which clearly communicated his unhidden complicity in the charades against his supposed party.

“Clearly, Saraki had a big hand in organising the events that transpired in the National Assembly today. He has, therefore, lost the moral justification to remain in APC. The time to expel him from the party is now. The public outing by the deserters at the National Assembly was the culmination of months of anti-party activities organised and directed by Saraki. And every scene in that dramatic work of shame revealed his hand.

“When the senators submitted the letter declaring their intention to leave APC, which was excitedly read by Saraki, Senate Leader Senator Ahmed Lawan attempted to point out what should have been the right procedure if APC had a true party man at the helm. Lawan tried to emphasise the need to allow some time for dialogue, knowing that politics is always a game of negotiation, dialogue, and agreement. Rather than listen to the Senate Leader and stand down the defections, at least temporarily, to see how the situation could be salvaged, Saraki simply gave in to his own consuming interest in the whole affair and enthusiastically shut down the valid intervention by Lawan.

“The Senate President went on to make a deceitful case for the defectors: 'APC as a democratic institution of democrats understands that people have the freedom of association'. Saraki did not need to remind us or anyone of that fact. Like we had cause to emphasise in a recent statement, 'The APC is not averse to dissenting positions. But we reject deceit in every shade or form.

“We have also previously emphasised the fact that the Senate President is the major sponsor of the so-called Reformed All Progressives Congress (rAPC), which has pulled out of APC, and whose members in the National Assembly staged the exit that we saw today. Being the ringleader, therefore, there is no justification for APC’s continued toleration of Saraki. He must go now. Or be shown the way out.”

Buhari wishes Kwankwaso, Melaye, others well

In his statement to the 15 senators that quit APC for the PDP, President Buhari said he wishes them all well.

The statement partly reads:

"I wish all of our party members who today defected, the very best in their future undertakings. The APC has done its best to stop the defections, and I must commend the party leadership for working tirelessly to unite the party and position it for future victory.

"I am confident that no harm or injury will be done by these defections, to the APC and its aspirations. I urge party faithful to not despair, but to instead see this as something that happens in seasons like this, on the eve of elections.

ALSO READ: Kwankwaso, Melaye, 13 other Senators dump APC for PDP

"As the saying goes, all politics is local. We understand that some of the Distinguished and Honourable lawmakers have issues in/with their home states, especially on zoning which bars some of them from seeking another term in their constituencies.

"Let me also note that none of the defecting federal lawmakers has any specific grievances against me or the government I lead; neither do I harbour any ill-feeling towards any of them. I fully respect their freedom to choose what party to associate with."

Here is a full list of decampee lawmakers

Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano Central ) are two of the most notable lawmakers that dumped the APC for the PDP on Tuesday.

Others are Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun Central), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara North), Banabas Gemade (Benue North East), Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara South), and Shitu Ubali (Jigawa North-East)

The others are Danbaba Ibrahim (Sokoto South), Usman Nafada (Gombe North), Nasif Nafada (Bauchi North), Isah Misau (Bauchi Central) and Suleman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North).

Senator Muritala Nyako (Adamawa Central) and Monsurat Sumonu (Oyo Central) defected from the APC to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the political party adopted by the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) launched by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.