• Resign as senate president, Oshiomhole tells Saraki

• APC has made Nigeria crisis-ridden, PDP insists

Following the gale of defections in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), its national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has enjoined Bukola Saraki to immediately resign his position as senate president.

The former Edo State governor was reacting yesterday in Abuja to Tuesday’s defection of Saraki to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).Specifically, the APC chairman had led some senators to a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

Fielding questions from State House Correspondents after the parley, Oshiomhole, who stated that he was not taken aback by the cross-carpeting, however, noted that it was imperative for Saraki to relinquish his post since he is now in a minority party at the parliament.

“Whatever is the reason, we can decamp from party but we can’t decamp from Nigeria. The only thing is that there are other consequential issues that every man or woman of honour who had taken such decisions would be expected to follow through.“I mean you should not collect a crown that belongs to a family and wear it on behalf of the family for your personal reasons.

“It is just a matter of honour to leave the crown where it be­longs. As it stands even now, APC is still the largest party in the Senate. We have 53 senators, that is much more than what the PDP or APGA has,” he submitted.However, the ruling party said it is least disturbed by the decamping of its immediate national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdulahi, Saraki, as well as Governors Abdulfatah Ahmed and Aminu Tambuwal of Kwara and Sokoto states.

In a statement, the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, stated that defectors had the right to pursue their political ambitions wherever they desired.Noting that it remains focused on continuing its unbroken run of victories in future elections, the APC urged its supporters nationwide to remain steadfast.

But the national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said Nigeria has become a crisis-ridden country on account of killings in Benue, others as well as the alleged impunity in the land.

During a solidarity visit by party stalwarts to Governor Samuel Ortom in Makurdi, the chairman condemned the recent impeachment notice purportedly served on their host by eight of the 30 members of the House of Assembly.Secondus said Benue “is being persecuted by the powers that be because the state now belongs to the PDP,” a development he stated was not good for democracy.

In this article: