Abdulfatah Ahmed, the governor of Kwara State, has decamped from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
In a statement delivered to The Trent on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, signed by Muyideen Akorede, the senior special assistant for media and communications to the Kwara State governor, Ahmed took this decision because the “APC can no longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and exceptions of his people”.
Following due consultations with the people and in response to calls by major stakeholder groups in the state, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed today [Tuesday] defected to the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), having realised that the All Progressive Congress (APC) can longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of his people,” the statement said.
This action follows the move by Governor Ahmed’s political godfather, Senate President Bukola Saraki who has just decamped from the ruling party, APC.
The defections of the pair has been expected since last week.
On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, fifteen senators announced their defection from the APC with 13 joining the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, while 2 joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
With this development, the ruling APC is now a minority in the Nigerian Senate with 44 senators. The People’s Democratic Party now has 66 senators. ADC has two senators, while APGA has one.
In a similar move, 37 members of the Nigerian House of Representatives have defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Thirty-two joined the PDP, while four joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). One later announced he was also leaving the APC but did not state his new party.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has issued a statement saying it accepts the defections of federal lawmakers which occurred at the National Assembly on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.
In an e-mailed statement to The Trent on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdulahi, the national publicity secretary of the APC, said that the party respects the “right of every citizen to political association” and urged for calm.
“APC remains in firm control of 25 states of the 36 states of the federation and maintains a clear majority in the federal House of Representatives and state assemblies,” Mr. Abdulahi declared in the brief statement.
It would appear that the APC’s political strength is waning with the decamping of the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom and the Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed. The two governors decamped from the APC to the PDP leaving APC “in control of 23 states”.
