Senate Presidency: Intense Political Lobbying Begins

A report by The Sun suggests that some Igbo senators are set to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Con­gress (APC) in order to stand a chance of emerging as Nigeria’s senate president.

The APC, which won majority Senate seats in the March 28 National Assembly polls nationwide, is set to constitute the leadership of the upper chamber. There are also rumours that the position of the senate presidency has been reserved for the South-East by the APC leadership.

It was learnt at the weekend that three ranking PDP senators from the South-East had opened talks with top leadership of the APC.

At least, two of the sena­tors, reached out to the APC leadership via their colleague who is a senator from the North- Central zone of the country.

READ ALSO: READ What APC’s Victory In The National Assembly Election Means To The South East

One of the Igbo senators, told his col­league that he would consult the national leadership of the PDP because the arrangement was that since there was no ranking senator from the South-East, at least, until now, “if he gets a positive nod from the APC leadership, the deal can be perfected on the day of inau­guration which will then allow him to clinch the desired slot.”

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The senator was yet to get back to his colleague as at the weekend because the APC national leadership was yet to conclude on the zon­ing arrangement for leader­ship positions in the National Assembly.

Defecting to another party, other than the one on whose platform a lawmaker was elected can only be possible after taking the oath of office on inauguration day, after the Senate president emerges.

The procedure was stipu­lated in Orders 1,2,3 and 4 and the Senate Standing Orders 2011 (as amended).

The lobbying senators are however, hopeful of securing an under­standing with the leadership of the APC, while they can defect after the composition of the new Na­tional Assembly.

READ ALSO: Jonathan’s Kinsmen Welcome Him Back Home

Meanwhile, Rotimi Amaechi , Rivers State Governor and Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has said that the APC is not an Islamic party.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/416018-senate-presidency-intense-political-lobbying-begins.html

Jigawa Deputy Governor Defects To APC

The Jigawa State deputy governor, Alhaji Ahmad Mahmud, is set to dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Premium Times reports.

Jigawa State deputy governor, Ahmad Mahmud

The deputy governor will be received alongside some of the officials of PDP-led state government, including Commissioners, by the state APC chairman, Ado Kiri, the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Badaru Abubakar, and other APC leaders in the state.

The director of press to the deputy governor, Ahmed Gumel, confirmed that his principal would leave PDP for APC and will be received in his Galagamma Ward in Gumel Local Government Area.

He did not give any reason for the deputy governor’s decision to quit his party.

Many believe that Mahmud is decamping to pay back Governor Sule Lamido who refused to pick him as his successor.

But PDP accused him of anti-party activities.

Earlier, the PDP leadership in the deputy governor’s Gumel local government suspended him for alleged anti-party activities during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

In a statement delivered through the director of press to the governor, Umar Kyari, the PDP chairman, Gumel Local Government, Ibrahim Kafinta, said the deputy governor was dismissed for allegedly voting for the APC in the elections, describing the action as a betrayal of trust.

Meanwhile Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the Kano state governor, has strongly criticized his counterparts, Sule Lamido of Jigawa state and Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state, saying that the duo committed political suicide by not defecting from PDP to APC.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/416060-jigawa-deputy-governor-defects-to-apc.html

More Loss: PDP Loses 3000 Members In Benue

Following the defeat of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the recently held presidential and National Assembly elections, about 3,000 of its members in Benue state have reportedly defected.

According to report, the defectors alleged that the governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam, has disappointed them.

They said he is no longer relevant in the state’s politics.

The defectors were said to have torn their membership cards.

READ ALSO: APC Raises Alarm, READ What PDP Plans To Do In Benue

See photos below:

PDP members defect in Benue state

PDP members in Benue tear their membership cards

Torn PDP membership cards

Recall that a former youth director for the Suswam campaign organisation Chief John Akperashi Gum had already fixed a date, 7th April, 2015, for his defection ceremony.

Suswam had lost in his bid to return to the National Assembly after an eight-year stint as governor of Benue state.

On Sunday during a thanksgiving service, angry supporters of the PDP stripped a chieftain of the party naked for distributing handbills of Samuel Ortom, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/416055-more-loss-pdp-loses-3000-members-in-benue.html