A former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was the first prominent member of the APC to decamp in December for the PDP. Atiku has since then, announced his presidential ambition for 2019.
Since Atiku’s move, there have been signs that there would be major defections from the APC. From the body language of some politicians, it was clear that they were no longer comfortable within the ruling party. It was believed that Atiku’s defection would make many members leave the party quickly.
Eight months later, Nigerians witnessed mass exodus of members of the ruling party to the main opposition party (PDP), mostly in one single day.
That particular day started in a dramatic way as Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were both stopped from leaving their residents in Abuja. There were reports that plans were underway to impeach Saraki as he was the mastermind behind the mass defection of members of the APC to the PDP.
Saraki himself on the eve of the planned defection stated that “This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalized without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.”
While there was a siege on his residence, Saraki found his way into the Red chamber. That escape shocked everyone especially those who planned his alleged impeachment.
On the day of the mass defection, fifteen Senators drew first blood when they defected from the APC to the PDP.
The senators that defected include Barnabas Gemade(Benue), Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna) Shaaba Lafiaji(Kwara), Rafiu Ibrahim(Kwara), and Usman Nafada(Gombe).
Others were Senators Suleiman Hunkuyi, Ibrahim Danbaba, Ubale Shittu, Isah Misau, Suleiman Nazif, Rafiu Ibrahim, Dino Melaye, Lanre Tejuosho.
Senators Monsurat Sunmonu(Oyo) and Abdul-Aziz Nyako(Adamawa) also defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking after the defection, Saraki who expressed displeasure at the siege on his residence and his deputy said that it was uncalled for. “People have the freedom of association. I have been sitting down here and more than 15 senators have decamped or defected to one party or the other. There was no siege on their residence,” he said.
To make matters worse for the APC, barely two hours after the defection in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, 36 lawmakers in the lower chamber dumped the APC.
While 34 of the defecting House of Representatives members announced that they were heading to PDP, four said they would join African Democratic Congress (ADC).The lawmakers cited division in the APC as the reason for their defection.
Among the defectors were Dickson Tackighir, Hassan Saleh, Danburam Nuhu, Sani Rano, Barry Mpigi, Mark Gbilah, Ali Madaki, Razak Atunwa, Abdulsamad Dasuk, Zakari Mohammed and Garba Bichi.
The Next Edition gathered that PDP members in the House of Reps had earlier celebrated when they heard that 15 senators from the ruling APC moved to PDP. As a result of that, they converged on the lobby of the National Assembly and vowed not to allow a leadership change in the Senate.
Some of them even threatened to break into the Senate Chamber to forcefully stop any attempt to change the leadership of the upper chamber.
However, as soon as news filtered from the Senate about the defection of 15 senators into the opposition party, the PDP Reps broke into dance, singing “ooo my home, oooo my home, when shall I see my home.”
They also chanted “Dogara, Dogara, Dogara” to welcome the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, into the House.
One week later, Saraki announced his defection from the APC to the PDP.
The Senate President made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday evening. On his handle @BukolaSaraki, he wrote “I wish to inform Nigerians that after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
Earlier that day, Nigeria’s South Africa envoy, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto, dumped the ruling party for the PDP. He resigned from his position in order to defect. Ibeto was Deputy Governor for eight years to former Governor Aliyu Babangida. Many asked why a public office holder would resign his position and quit the ruling party. It is surely a sign that all is not well within the APC.
That night, a mild drama ensued as it was reported that the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, had resigned as spokesman and dumped the party. He later denied the reports making the rounds because he had not made any official announcement regarding his defection.
The next day, he made the announcement. In a statement released and signed by him, he wrote: “In the last few days, I have had to endure the flagrant usurpation of my role as the spokesman of the party in a manner that I consider unbefitting of a ruling party and inconsistent with my ethical standards.”
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That was not the end of the gale of defections as the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, like his Benue and Kwara counterparts before him, left the APC for PDP. The governor made the announcement on Wednesday in the presence of hundreds of supporters who stormed the Government House to give him support.
The announcement came one day after he called on Nigerians to reject what he described as “prison-yard democracy”. Before his announcement, there have been speculations in the past weeks that he would leave the APC for the PDP.
The APC has now lost three senators in one week. The Next Edition gathered from a reliable source that there will be more defections but it is just a matter of time.
The coming weeks will reveal if more members of the ruling party will dump the party or not.