The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday night reiterated that the party would remain focused on the task of providing good governance to Nigerians despite the recent massive defections by some lawmakers.
Recall that about 14 senators and 37 reps had on Tuesday decamped from the APC to other political parties. A sitting governor in Benue State, Samuel Ortom also on Wednesday announced his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and APC Senators at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Oshiomhole said the meeting was held at the instance of the senators, who wanted to show their solidarity for the President and his administration.
He said: “The senators have come in huge numbers to prove that the APC remains the party with the largest number of senators as well as members in the House of Representatives. Also to prove that we still have what it takes to continue to provide good governance for Nigeria.
“We have agreed that going forward, the APC cannot be intimidated, the government will not be intimidated or distracted. We remain focused and committed to addressing the critical challenges that confront our country, namely security, economy and fight against corruption.
“On all three, the President is consistent and determined and the senators have come to reassure him of their full backing on these three core commitments which we have made to the Nigerian people and for me as party Chairman, we are very excited.”
According to him, the legislators that defected on Tuesday were victims of misinformation.
He said some of them would retrace their steps and come back to the APC.
The Majority Leader in the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, who led the APC Senators to the Presidential Villa, said they were in the State House to pay courtesy call on President Buhari and also give him details of what transpired at the Senate on Tuesday.
He said: “We have come to pay a courtesy call on our leader, the President of this country and then inform him about what happened yesterday (Tuesday) in the Senate and indeed the National Assembly; the defection by some of our colleagues from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party and various political parties. We informed the President on how we stand in the Senate.
“As at today, the APC caucus in the Senate is 53 in number, followed by the largest minority party the PDP with 48 Senators and then the ADC with two Senators, APGA has two Senators. We have two vacant seats which were occupied by APC Senators who are late now.”
