. Six Oyo Reps dump PDP for APM in major boost to Makinde
. As Wabara charges opposition to unite for national interest
CHINWE ODITA, Assistant Political Editor and IGNATIUS OKOROCHA, Abuja with Agency report
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday calmed Senators who failed to secure their political parties’ tickets in the recently concluded primary elections across the country.
Akpabio gave the hint while welcoming senators back from their three week holiday to enable them to participate in their respective party primaries.
While the President of the Senate and a few others in the leadership won their tickets unopposed; there has been a few upsets, leaving at least 40 senators unable to secure their tickets.
In all, only 60 serving senators were successful at the primaries conducted across party lines.
Akpabio congratulated the winners and their political parties, even as he admonished those who failed to secure their tickets to take solace in the overall victory that democracy stands for in Nigeria.
“I know that there will always be victories and disappointments, yet above every individual triumph stands a greater triumph, the triumph of democracy itself.”
To further pacify the 40 who lost their tickets, Akpabio told senators that the Senate leadership was assured that primariesthere will not be as much casualties in the primaries as was it has now been recorded.
He told them that the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, is working to reduce the level of casualties and ensure that some of them secure their parties’ tickets.
“As we return to our constitutional responsibilities, I pray that Almighty God grants us wisdom and good health for the task ahead. For we are not merely representatives of constituencies, but custodians of the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians who look to this Senate for the realization of a greater nation.
“I congratulate political parties that recently concluded their primaries and internal democratic processes. I felicitate those who have secured the mandate of their parties to seek elective office. I know that there will always be victories and disappointments. Yet above every individual triumph stands the greater triumph—the triumph of democracy itself,” he said.
On the spate of insecurity, Akpabio noted, “Friends and colleagues, We resume our work under the mournful shadow of a tragedy that has shaken our nation. The abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State is not merely an attack on innocent citizens; it is an assault on our collective humanity.
Continuing he said, “We mourn because if we cannot protect our children we imperil our future. We mourn because a nation that cannot guarantee the safety of its teachers weakens the very foundations upon which education rests. And we mourn because, for as long as those children remain in captivity, our nation remains captive with them.
“Today, we grieve the loss of two dedicated educators: Mr. Michael Oyedokun, who died in captivity, and Mr. Adesiyan Adegboye, who lost his life during the attack. We also mourn the child whose life was cut short before its promise could be fulfilled. We share the pain of the bereaved families.
“Their loss is our loss. Their sorrow is our sorrow. Their pain is our pain. Yet even in the midst of grief, we remain hopeful that, through the determined efforts of the government and our security agencies, those still in captivity will be safely rescued and reunited with their loved ones.
“On behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the affected school community, and the Government and people of Oyo State.”
Furthermore, a former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has called on politicians to rise above partisan, ethnic and religious divides and unite against bad leadership in the country.
In a message to mark his 78th birthday on Monday, Wabara insisted that the survival of the country depends on the choices citizens make in the 2027 general elections and identified poor leadership as Nigeria’s greatest albatross.
He said the country’s enormous human and natural resources have been squandered by successive administrations, particularly under the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The former Senate President, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urged opposition political parties to set aside their differences and forge a common front to rescue Nigeria from what he termed “economic mismanagement, democratic decline and worsening insecurity.”
He argued that the nation’s fortunes have steadily deteriorated since the APC assumed power in 2015, stating, “Nigeria’s greatest problem is not a lack of resources or talented citizens. Our greatest problem is bad leadership. A nation blessed with abundant wealth and extraordinary human capital should not be battling the level of poverty, hunger, unemployment and insecurity we see today.”
The Abia elder statesman also lamented the soaring cost of living, declining purchasing power, rising unemployment and the growing sense of hopelessness among ordinary Nigerians.
“Millions of Nigerians can no longer afford the basic necessities of life. Businesses are shutting down, investors are losing confidence, families are struggling to survive, while insecurity continues to spread across various parts of the country. This is not the Nigeria our founding fathers envisioned,” he said.
The elder statesman accused the ruling APC of failing to fulfil its promises to Nigerians and warned that allowing the party to continue in power beyond 2027 could further endanger the nation’s future.
“The APC promised change, but what Nigerians have witnessed over the years is a painful decline in living standards, deepening divisions, mounting debt burdens and worsening insecurity. The evidence is visible across the country. Nigerians must honestly assess the state of the nation and decide whether this is the direction they want to continue.
“No democracy can thrive without a vibrant opposition. Efforts to intimidate, weaken or silence opposing voices are dangerous to democratic development. Democracy flourishes through healthy competition of ideas, accountability and respect for dissenting opinions.
“This is not the time for political ego, unnecessary rivalries or personal ambitions. The opposition must unite in the national interest. We must build a broad coalition of patriotic Nigerians committed to rescuing our country from those who see power as an end in itself rather than a vehicle for service.”
Meanwhile, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, showed his political influence on Tuesday as six members of the House of Representatives, Oyo caucus, loyal to him, dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.
At the resumption of plenary following the Sallah break, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who presided over the session, read 13 letters announcing the change of parties by lawmakers.
Recall that Makinde, a few weeks ago, defected to the APM, on which platform he has already declared to run for the presidential election in 2027.
The members of the Oyo House of Representatives caucus who defected to the APM on Tuesday included Anthony Adebayo, Adedeji Olajide, Sunday Makanjuola, Oyedeji Oyeshina, Fola Oyekunle and Adigun Adekunle.
In their letters of defection, the lawmakers cited the protracted internal crisis and leadership tussle in the PDP as a reason to seek a political alternative to pursue their ambitions in 2027.
With this development, Gov Makinde has taken six out of the 14 members of the Oyo state caucus in the House of Representatives with him to the APM.
Meanwhile, the PDP lost and gained members on the floor of the House on Tuesday.
In Bauchi, Auwalu Gwalabe also left the PDP for the APM, while Shehu Dalhatu, representing Faskari/Kankara/Sabuwa Federal Constituency of Katsina State, dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for the PDP.
In his letter of defection, Dalhatu said, “After careful consideration of the issues in the APC and having consulted with my constituencies, I have resolved to join the PDP.”
Similarly, Delta lawmaker, Etanabene Benedict, left the Labour Party for the PDP, citing “the crisis in the LP,” in the South-South state.
The PDP also gained another lawmaker in Alex Egbona, who dumped the APC for the PDP, noting, however, that his “commitment to the House and his constituency remains unshakeable.”
In another defection, Edo legislator Esosa Iyawe, who had defected thrice within three years, again dumped the APC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
He blamed “Irreconciliable difference with the Edo State chapter of the APC for his decision.”
Nasarawa lawmaker, Gbefwi Gaza, announced his defection from the Social Democratic Party, SDP to the Labour Party.
For a better society
_______________________________
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
