By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday justified the defection of all federal lawmakers from Kebbi State to the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that the ruling party “is now running a government of national unity.”
Bamidele, currently representing Ekiti Central in the Upper Chamber, noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not coerce any member of the opposition political parties to defect to the APC, contrary to public criticism.
He clarified this at the Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex, in Abuja when all federal lawmakers from Kebbi State formally announced their defection to the APC.
The three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators from Kebbi State defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Senate plenary.
The Senators are Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central); Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South)
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, read their letters of defection separately on the chamber’s floor.
The formal announcement was witnessed by the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Nasir Idris and APC National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Sulaiman Argungu, among others.
After their announcement, Bamidele defended the federal lawmakers’ defection to the APC, noting that their decision was based on the overriding public interest and had nothing to do with turning Nigeria into a one-party state.
He, thus, noted that the ruling party “will not close our doors to anyone intending to join the party. In the same way, we will not discriminate against anyone based on religion, tribe or any other factor. Our doors will remain open for more people to join at all levels.2
Bamidele said, “In the meantime, we will continue to work with the members of the minority political parties. It is no coincidence that virtually all political parties, from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to the Peoples Democratic Party, must join the ruling APC.
“Even APGA, which has not joined the ruling party, has also graciously nominated and donated an honourable minister of state to the Federal Government of Nigeria under the APC administration. That is to say, we are now running a national unity government.”
Bamidele specifically commended the defectors for their decision to join the ruling APC while reflecting on how the PDP was coercing members of the opposition parties to defect to its fold when it was in government at the federal level.
He said, “We were all in this country when the PDP was the ruling party. We saw all the things that happened under the PDP in an attempt to get more states, more seats in the Senate and more seats in the House of Representatives. We are not at the polls. No one is being coerced.
“If anyone is coerced, it’s the person who is not Senator Adamu Aliero. We all know that the person who cannot be Senator Yahaya Abdullahi will be co-opted. Neither will Senator Garba Maidoki, who had a stint in the private sector before he ventured into politics, defect to the APC without clear conviction. They are not all in politics to feed themselves and their families.
“As far as we are concerned, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, whom I know, will stay in opposition and be very loud instead. They all recognise that this is not the time for grandstanding. This is the time for all of us to work together to take Nigeria to the next level.
“One of the defectors has been privileged to be the Governor of Kebbi State, from 1999 to 2007. He even served as the Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, he is the most ranking member of the Senate.
“Another one has served as the Leader of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly. These are people who know what they are doing. They can never mislead the people of Kebbi State. They can never mislead Nigeria.
“For us in APC, this is a wonderful development. For those keenly watching political developments, rest assured that at the end of the day, this can only be for the good and greatness of Nigeria.
“To the rest of our colleagues on the minority island, we will continue to work together for Nigeria’s progress.
“I repeat it for the umpteenth time. Those who refer to this parliament as a rubber stamp parliament should note that we are at a critical stage of national life when all hands must be on deck.”
