REACTING to the defection of the 15 Senators and 36 House of Representatives members, President Muhammadu Buhari wished all the decamped members the best in their future undertakings.
He also expressed confidence that no harm or injury will be done to the party and its aspirations by the movements.
President Buhari, through his senior special adviser on media and publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu said, “President @MBuhari has 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.
This reaction came immediately after President Buhari’s meeting with the Inspector General of Police.
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Fifteen Senators and 36 house of representatives members early on Tuesday dumped the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In his reaction to the developments Tuesday morning at the Nat’l Assembly, the President noted that “none of the defecting federal lawmakers of @OfficialAPCNg had any specific grievances against him or the government he leads; neither did he harbour anything against any of them. As the saying goes, all politics is local.
“We understand that some of the distinguished and honourable lawmakers have issues with their home states, especially on zoning which bars some of them from seeking another term in their constituencies,” he said.
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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.
Noting that the APC had done its utmost to stop the defections, the President commended the leadership of the party for relentlessly working for its unity and ensuring success in the upcoming elections.
In its reaction the APC urged its members to be calm, citing about 25 states they still have control of.
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“As a truly democratic party, we respect the right of every citizen to political association. Therefore, we urge our members to remain calm as we continue to work hard to position our party strongly for the next general elections.
“APC remains in firm control of 25 states of the 36 states of the federation and maintains a clear majority in the federal House of Representatives and state assemblies,” part of their statement read.
