The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has issued a statement saying it accepts the defections of federal lawmakers which occurred at the National Assembly on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.
In an e-mailed statement to The Trent on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdulahi, the national publicity secretary of the APC, said that the party respects the “right of every citizen to political association” and urged for calm.
“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,” Mr. Abdulahi declared in the brief statement.
Earlier Tuesday, July 24, 2018, fifteen senators announced their defection from the APC with 13 joining the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, while 2 joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
In a similar move, 37 members of the Nigerian House of Representatives have defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Thirty-two joined the PDP, while four joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). One later announced he was also leaving the APC but did not state his new party.
Below is the full statement by the APC.
APC Statement on National Assembly Defections
The All Progressives Congress (APC) notes the development in the National Assembly with the defection of some of our members from the Party.
In the last couple of weeks our Party leaders have worked to stave off this situation as responsible Party leaders would do. It would appear however that the individuals involved have different considerations beyond the grievances that they were willing to discuss and which our leaders were willing to address.
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
We assure members and supporters that our great Party will continue to consolidate on our majority status in the leadup to the 2019 General Elections, even as our government continue to work hard to deliver on our promises to Nigerians.
