President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday moved to stop the mass defection of lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
This is even as the president held a crucial meeting with some aggrieved senators at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
There were fears, following the outcome of the ruling party’s primaries for National Assembly seats, in which many of the incumbent representatives and senators lost out, that an exodus was imminent in the party.
The fears grew as seven APC senators defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, with information that 18 more senators may be firming up plans to dump the party.
To save the imminent crash of the party’s control of the National Assembly, the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, last Wednesday, rallied some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, including the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to a meeting with members of the Senate APC caucus.
The aggrieved senators had pledged to defect from the party over the outcome of primaries in their states, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Leader of the delegation and Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, said the lawmakers felt disenfranchised by the process.
However, President Buhari at the meeting, assured that the leadership of the party would sustain the hearing and healing process to ensure fairness, justice and oneness before the 2023 general elections.
The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, noted that complaints were received from some members and that machinery had been put in place by the National Working Committee, NWC, to address their various concerns.
He said, “In keeping with our ethos, therefore, I shall continue to address the ensuing challenges and grievances through the party machinery, while paying keen attention to the outcomes.
“I must also remind you of the primacy of justice in all our actions. If justice is denied, the outcome is usually unpleasant.
“This is because you are the members who keep the party running. I should add that as part of the policy of using the party machinery for effective resolution of conflict, the chairman and some members of the National Working Committee visited the National Assembly recently to dialogue with our legislators.
“The leadership of the party is currently addressing the outcomes as part of the way forward. I am encouraging all the party functionaries to adhere to the truth and to be fair to all parties in any dispute.”
President Buhari told the APC senators that the strength and victory of the party in the election would depend on the unity of members and the ability to prevent injustices or heal them, perceived or real.
As the leader of the party, one of my primary roles is to ensure that our culture of internal democracy and dispute resolution is strengthened by creating the opportunity for members to ventilate their opinions, views and grievances at different levels.
“Notwithstanding the fact that we have accomplished 23 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, our journey is still in a nascent stage and we continue to learn from our challenges and mistakes.
“Similarly, our party is still evolving in its culture and practices and it is my expectation and hope that we shall attain a mature level in our internal conduct,” Buhari said.
He urged party members to exercise restraint and continue to demonstrate commitment to the ideals of the party, while the leadership continues to build and develop APC and the country.
The President said: “I have noted your grievances, particularly as it concerns the just concluded processes, the cost to the nation, the threat to the majority position held by our party in the legislative chambers and likely consequent cost to the electoral fortunes of our party as we approach the general elections.”