With the recent upheavals in
Nigeria’s political space, some members of the Senate are expected to defect
from their parties in the coming days.
The speculation on the defection
has been on for a long time but reached new heights on July 4 when a faction of
the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) announced the formation of a new
party bloc, tagged Reformed APC, simply R-APC.
The group comprises mostly
members of nPDP, and defunct CPC, ANPP and ACN.
A week later, the R-APC and 37
other parties signed a memorandum for a coalition that will ensure the defeat
of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC come 2019.
Some senators were featured in
this turn of events and several on–the-side consultations fueled the
possibility of massive decamping.
BELOW ARE SOME SENATOR WHO MAY
LEAVE THEIR PARTY SOON AND WHY
Bukola Saraki
Since the breakaway from APC, Mr
Saraki has not publicly announced whether he is part of the disgruntled R-APC
or not. But many expect him to change party soon, especially as he has been
seen holding meetings with PDP leaders and as some of his supporters have left
APC.
Mr Saraki’s travails in the APC
is connected to his long-standing cold war with the presidency which started
right from his inauguration as Senate President. After his swearing-in, Mr
Saraki was slammed with forgery, false assets declaration and sundry charges by
the federal government. Though acquitted, many of Mr Saraki’s supporters
believe he is being harasssed for standing his ground against the presidency.
Dino Melaye
The Kogi West Senator is not
keeping silent his bias on defection. After returning to the Senate in June, Mr
Melaye requested to sit in the opposition wing of the Senate chamber. He has
been sitting there since then and was also spotted at the venue of MoU signing
of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). He also released a video
where he claimed he missed his ‘home’, the PDP.
The unending political feud
between Mr Melaye, and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello is a major factor
forcing the lawmaker out of APC. Having survived a recall process which he
believed was orchestrated by Mr Bello, Mr Melaye will likely make his defection
back to PDP in coming days.
Shehu Sani
The Kaduna Central Senator has
hinted of his imminent defection in interviews and social media posts in recent
times. Mr Sani would want out of APC primarily because of his feud with
Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The crisis dates back to 2015
when, after the elections, Mr El-Rufai made some appointments, and Mr Sani and
others felt disregarded and marginalised.
Mr Sani has not been silent all
along, criticising most of the policies of the state government and the
governor’s party activities. When he was suspended from the party in 2017, he
accused the governor of masterminding his ordeal.
His last words on defection was
that he was still making consultations.
Suleiman Hunkuyi
Like Mr Sani, the Kaduna North
Senator may leave APC because of his feud with Mr El-Rufai.
The genesis of their disagreement
is difficult to trace given the fact that Mr Hunkuyi’s younger brother was
appointed commissioner and his elder, Idris Othman, was for many years a close
associate of the governor.
Although his has not been as
rough as the feud between him and Shehu Sani, all indications point that there
is no love lost between him and the governor. Just recently, as in many other
occasions, Mr Hunkuyi vowed to “do everything possible” to vote Mr El-Rufai out
in 2019 governorship election in the state.
In February, the Kaduna State
Governmemt demolished a building belonging to a faction of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in the state. Mr Hunkuyi, a leader of one of ‘Restoration APC,’
alleged that the demolition was masterminded by the state.
The score still lingers and may
force the senator out of the party.
Shaaba Lafiagi
Though without any known
confrontations, Mr Lafiagi is believed to be part of aggrieved senators who may
defect from APC due to his loyalty to Mr Saraki.
Kabir Marafa
The struggle for political space
in Zamfara state has brought the governor, Abdulaziz Yari, and Senator
representing Zamfara Central, Kabiru Marafa, at loggerheads in recent times.
The political quagmire took an
interesting dimension in November 2017, when the senator alleged that the
governor was not an indigene of the state. This followed the Senate’s refusal
to confirm nomination of Ahmad Bello Mahmud as REC nominee for the state on the
strength of a petition written to the committee on INEC by Mr Yari. In another
appearance at plenary, Mr Marafa alleged that the governor and his deputy knew
the militias laying siege on the state.
Mr Yari, in his response to the
allegation said in a statement by his Special Adviser, Salisi Isah, that the
senator’s comments were ‘mischievous, callous and misleading’.
The governor went further to
threaten Mr Marafa’s 2019 ambition. “Yes we are going to kill him politically,
we are going to bury his political ambition in 2019. He wants to be governor,
he is not going to get it, even the Senate, he is not going to return,” he said
in a statement.
The feud continues even as Mr
Marafa was spotted at the venue of the signing of the CUPP MoU.
Sabi Abdulahi
The Niger North Senator is not
known to be having difficulty with his governor or any bigwig in his political
party but he may defect due to his affiliation with R-APC members.
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
The handwritings are clearly
written on the wall, suggesting the the former Kano State governor, Mr
Kwankwaso, will make official his return to PDP soon. This may be borne out of
two reason: first, his feud with the state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and his
presidential ambition.
Early July, he boasted of his
ability to defeat President Buhari if fielded by PDP.
“I’m a free man now and available
to try my luck elsewhere but I know that PDP is the biggest party and as long
as they follow democratic principle, Buhari will easily be defeated, but if
they handpick and force any candidate on the party, they will fail,” he said.
Abu Kyari
The 2019 ambition of the senator
representing Borno North appears capable of instigating his defection. His
ambition is putting him at loggerheads with the Governor Kashim Shettima of the
state.
The senator, who is currently
nursing an ambition of occupying the state government house is not in the best
of relationships with the governor who many believe is eyeing the northern
senatorial seat in 2019.
To neutralise Mr Kyari’s
ambition, Mr Shettima was said to have initiated moves to draft the senator
representing the central senatorial district, Baba Kaka Garbai, into the
governorship race to succeed him.
Mr Kyari may have to leave APC if
his ambition will ever materialise.
Adamu Aliero
The Kebbi APC has been battling
with the emergence of two warring factions: “Buhari/Bagudu 4+4 (BB4+4)” and
“Buhari/Bagudu Support Organisation (BBSO)” led by different political figures
in the state.
Even though he had vowed to
support their proscription, the crisis seems unending. Beyond this and more
importantly, the preparation to win re-election in 2019 is staring the senator
right in the eyes.
The senator , in an interview in
September 2017 said, ‘nothing good can ever comes out of PDP’ but he was part
of a meeting of aggrieved senators in May where the options of return to PDP or
seeking fresh grounds topped the agenda.
Danjuma Goje
The senator has been accused of
hijacking the Gombe APC due to his overwhelming influence. To solve this, the
national headquarters of the APC last year disbanded officials of the party in
Gombe State and inaugurated a caretaker committee.
But the crisis continues with no
love lost between the Chairman of the committee, Bala Jibrin, and Mr Goje,
sometimes degenerating into physical attacks by their supporters.
Mr Goje is one of the senators
making consultations on their next moves.
Isa Misau
Mr Misau has not hidden his
displeasure towards the government of President Buhari especially in his
comments on the Nigeria Police and its leadership.
In January, Mr Misau said the
Buhari administration was populated with incompetent people who have now taken
over the reins, with some of them acting as though they are above the
president. His open confrontation with the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim
Idris, whom he accused of corruption and incompetence also pitched him against
the presidency.
Mr Misau also questioned Mr
Buhari’s anti-corruption war citing the example of Babachir Lawal, the former
SGF who was accused of embezzling funds meant for IDPs and still walking
scot-free, including being a frequent visitor to the presidential villa.
With this affront coupled with
his involvement in underground consultations, the Bauchi lawmaker may be on his
way out of APC.
Others
They may not have been involved
in major crises but these senators have been part of underground meetings,
especially with the CUPP:
Ibrahim Gobir
John Enoh
Ibrahim Danbaba
Suleman Nazif
Muhammed Shitu
David Umaru
Barnabas Gemade
Rufai Ibrahim
Bala Ibn. Na’Allah
culled: PremiumTimes
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