Saraki, Gov Ahmed decamps from APC, may join PDP

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has finally announced his exit from the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is even as the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed equally defected from the APC.

Saraki announced his decision in a Tweet on his Twitter handle @bukolasaraki on Tuesday evening.

The tweet read: “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

He did not indicate the party he is moving to, though there have been speculations of his plan to defect back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ten Senators last week defected from the APC to the PDP, while two others joined African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Saraki’s final exit might have been hastened by the dissolution of the Kwars State executive of the APC at all levels on Monday by the National Working Committee of the party (NWC).

The NWC asked a caretaker committee led by Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa to run the party pending the election of new leaders.

Caretaker committees will be appointed at the ward and local government levels.

The dissolved state executive committee, which is loyal to Senate President Bukola Saraki, is led by Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, who has been openly castigating the party along with other leaders in the state.

It was learnt that the decision was taken because of alleged disloyalty by the Balogun-Fulani led APC executive.

It was also gathered that the step became necessary to prevent Saraki from “hijacking” the party’s candidates who will be elected at the primaries of APC.

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Bayelsa East in the National Assembly, Ben Murray-Bruce, has welcomed the Senate president Bukola Saraki back to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Saraki on Tuesday evening, announced his exit from the All Progressives party in a Tweet on his Twitter handle @bukolasaraki.

Saraki said: “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Although, Saraki did not indicate the party he is moving to, Ben Bruce however welcomed him home to PDP.

Ben Bruce, through his Twitter page wrote: ” Today, I am excited to welcome home to the @OfficialPDPNig, the very sagacious and excellent leader and president of the @NGRSenate, Distinguished Sen. @bukolasaraki.

“The @APCNigeria failed at putting you down, and inadvertently succeeded in making you stronger. Welcome home”

But the Chairman of the Progressive Governor Forum and Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha said the defection of the two strong members of the party will not in any way affect the fortunes of the party.

Okorocha said the Senate President was entitled to his political opinion, pointing out that if he has decided to ply his political trade in another party, there was nothing anybody can do about that.

He said “you should have asked me when they were joining the party. Why are you asking me now that they are leaving the party? I don’t know when they joined the party and I don’t have to know when they are leaving the party.

“People are entitled to their opinion about how they see issues. Political party is just a vehicle with which you get to your point of destination and if they found that they can no longer find what they want in APC and wants to go to another party, good luck.

“You are asking me how that will affect the APC. That does not in any way affect the party negatively. The issue there is that President Muhammadu Buhari will win the 2019 election. He is much stronger get on ground now than before in terms of electoral value.

“It is allowed. As they are going, many other people are coming into the party in their thousand. So, it is neither here nor there and so, we should not make a big issue out of it.

Saraki is entitled to his political opinion and if he wants to leave, good luck and if the Governor of Kwara, my colleague wants to leave, good luck. They are all responsible men and you cannot tie them down to one place.”