Big Loss for APC As 3 Prominent Senators Defect to Opposition Parties

Big Loss for APC As 3 Prominent Senators Defect to Opposition Parties

  • The ruling party, the All Progressives Congress has lost three strong senators to the opposition parties
  • Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, the special assistant press to President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan confirmed the development on Tuesday, June 21 through a statement
  • Meanwhile, the notice of their resignation and defection was contained in three separate letters read on Tuesday, during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan

Three Senators belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have resigned their membership of the ruling party.

The lawmakers are Senators Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina North), Lawal Yahaya Gumau (Bauchi South), and Francis Alimikhena (Edo North).

In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, June 21, Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, special assistant (press) to the president of the senate confirmed the development.

Senators, Ahmad Lawan, 2023 elections, NNPP, APC
APC loses 3 prominent Senators. Photo credit: Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan
Source: Facebook

Whilst Babba Kaita and Alimikhena defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Gumau, on the other hand, defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

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Lawan confirmed the development

The notice of their resignation and defection was contained in three separate letters read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday.

Babba Kaita’s letter reads:

“As Senator representing Katsina North Senatorial District, I write to formally notify you of my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), and registration declaration for the Peoples Democratic Party.
“My resignation from the APC was born out of the marginalisation of critical stakeholders by the State Government and Leadership of the Party in Katsina State, where small people like me do not have a chance.
“I have since been joyful and graciously accepted into the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party in Katsina State.”

Senator Alimikhena speaks on his defection

On his part, Senator Alimikhena, explained that his decision to resign from the APC was as a result of “continuing and multifaceted crisis that has bedeviled the APC”, especially in his Senatorial District, “that has created parallel executives that has undermined internal discipline, cohesion and focus.”

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The defection of the three lawmakers reduces the total number of APC Senators from 70 to 67 in the upper chamber.

2023: Mass exodus of prominent chieftains hits APC in northern states, names revealed

After the primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party is now facing a threatening wave of defection from the north, where it has its stronghold.

Most chieftains who are northern lawmakers in both the red and green chambers are abandoning the party for other political platforms for similar reasons top among which is the lack of principles and internal democracy.

This, needless to say, is drastically affecting the APC's chances of victory in the coming general elections.

PDP wins big as defection hits Kebbi APC, 2 senators, 6 others join opposition party

Meanwhile, the Kebbi state chapter of the APC had experienced a big shake-up a few days after the ruling party's presidential primaries.

Read also

2023 elections: List of APC senators who have defected to PDP, other parties

This is as the party lost five members of the National Assembly and three members of the state assembly to the PDP.

The mass defection to the PDP began after the primary election of APC as most of the decampees were disenchanted with the manner in which the party conducted its primary elections.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Esther Odili avatar

Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from NIJ, where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.