Twenty-two more senators of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) are planning to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a former Minister of Aviation and chieftain of the APC, Femi Fani-Kayode has said.
He stated that the planned defection is because the senators were denied the party’s ticket to contest the 2023 elections.
Expressing worry over the mass defections in the party, Fani-Kayode in a tweet on Wednesday said something must be done to prevent it.
“22 APC Senators are threatening to decamp to PDP because they have been denied the tickets to return to the Senate. This is serious & something must be done to prevent it. Many are concerned & we urge our able Nat. Chairman & Nat. Sec. to reach them. We cannot afford to lose them,” he wrote.
Early today, ABN TV had reported how seven senators dumped APC for other opposition parties.
Members of the Senate who defected from the APC are Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi) Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Dauda Jika (Bauchi), Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina), Lawal Yahaya Gumau (Bauchi), and Francis Alimikhena (Edo).
Briefing reporters after a closed-door meeting with APC senators, the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, said it was unfortunate that the lawmakers left the party.
He, however, said the defections were expected due to the electioneering season when the country usually witnesses all manner of things.