APC further solidifies strength in Senate as 3 Senators dump PDP

By Kingsley Okoye

Three Senators elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday abandoned their political party and defected to the majority All Progressives Congress, APC

The senators announced that they were abandoning PDP for APC in separate letters read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio at the plenary.

The Senators are Amos Yohanna (PDP Adamawa), Abass Iya (PDP Adamawa) and Ikra Bilbis (PDP Zamfara).

In his own letter, Yohanna said he was defecting to the APC because of what he called prolonged and unresolved internal divisions within PDP at national level.

Yohanna said the crisis had significantly impaired cohesion and effective functioning of the party.

“The persistent crisis has created a structural fracture within the party, affecting its national leadership and operational stability.

“I hereby formally notify the senate of my decision and my formal defection to the APC.

“This communication is intended to ensure full compliance with constitutional requirements and to place the senate on proper notice of the circumstances surrounding my resignation from the PDP and defection to the APC,” he said.

The reasons cited by Iya for his defection to the APC are not different.

In his letter, Iya said he was formally informing the senate of his decision to resign his membership of the PDP and officially defect to the APC with immediate effect.

“This followed the persistent crisis within the national level.

“The deepening of internal factions and the ongoing leadership tussles which resulted in multiple court cases have created uncertainty regarding the party’s stability and the possible prospect of the party in the forthcoming election.

“This informed my decision to withdraw my membership of the party and to defect to the APC,” he said.

To Bilbis, his decision to quit PDP and join APC was a difficult but necessary decision.

This, he said, came after extensive and wide consultations with his political associates as well as key stakeholders within his constituency and beyond.

“My primary allegiance remains to the good people of my senatorial district. I represent their collective aspiration for effective governance, and that is what is guiding this move.

“My decision is predicated on prolonged internal crisis in my former party, the PDP, and the need for alignment with the centre and to continue to support the national agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

“I formally request that you direct the Clerk of the Senate to reflect this change in the records of the senate that I am no longer a member of the PDP but now belong to the APC,” he said.

In his remarks, Akpabio said that the current administration, before assumption of office, met a challenged economy, saying that the president had steadily brought reforms.

He said that the decisions on oil subsidy removal and harmonisation of exchange rate for the country were already bringing in fund into the consolidated revenue.

The senate president said that state governments were meeting their obligations because they were getting their funds in line with the constitution, adding that the sub-nationals were doing well.

According to him, APC is putting Nigeria on a trajectory of growth, total reformation and rebirth.

(NAN)