Barring any change of plans, President Bola Tinubu is expected to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly at the Presidential Villa today over the defections and disaffection arising from the conduct of the primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although the time of the meeting remained unclear as of press time, it is unlikely to take place before 3 p.m., as both chambers are expected to hold plenary sessions between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The President returned to Abuja yesterday after the Eid-el-Kabir holiday in Lagos, during which he undertook a series of political, governmental and national engagements.
The Senate leadership had also met with the President in Lagos last Thursday.
The planned parley between Tinubu and the National Assembly leadership comes amid growing anxiety over fresh defections from the ruling party.
Upon resumption yesterday, about 13 members of the House of Representatives defected to various parties, creating fresh political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to a highly placed source privy to the planned meeting, the conduct of the APC primaries across the country and the challenges arising from them will top the agenda of today’s talks.
“The meeting is strictly to discuss the excesses of governors who hijacked the process. How can elected governors, some of whom are even seeking re-election, pose threats to the ambitions of those also seeking second or additional terms as lawmakers?
“The situation is so appalling and dangerous that it has already started generating anxiety and tension across the states. In some states, governors are struggling to replace all federal lawmakers, even when they have been given the liberty to determine who works with them at the state level.
“Does it not appear that they are creating problems through their excesses by trying to dictate who works with Mr President at the federal level? Honestly, unless we are deceiving ourselves, there are serious issues that must be resolved urgently; otherwise, we are heading for trouble.
“Look at what happened in the House of Representatives today (yesterday) as people began to move. And this is just the beginning because people who had an unwritten understanding have been shoved aside by the excesses of some governors,” the source said.
Calls and text messages sent to the Senate spokesman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, and the House of Representatives spokesman, Hon. Akin Rotimi, were not responded to as of press time.
APC governors have been accused of hijacking the party’s National Assembly primaries in some states, creating a rift with incumbent lawmakers. It was learnt that the Presidency and the party leadership were inclined towards the return of a good number of serving lawmakers on the party’s ticket. However, the President had also assured governors of control of party structures in their states ahead of the primaries.
Meanwhile, as part of the post-primary realignments, 13 members of the House of Representatives resigned from their political parties and joined new ones during the resumed plenary.
They include Alex Egbona (Cross River), who defected from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Esosa Iyawe (Edo), who joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after losing the APC primary for a House of Representatives seat; and Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, who left the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Labour Party (LP).
Others are Sani Lawal (Katsina), who resigned from the APC but did not announce his next political destination, and Shehu Dalhat Tafoki (Katsina), who left the APC for the PDP.
Also, PDP lawmakers — Adebayo Adepoju (Oyo), Stanley Olajide (Oyo), Ojo Sunday Makanjuola (Oyo), Najeem Oyedeji (Oyo), Folajimi Oyekunle (Oyo), Abbas Adigun (Oyo), and Auwalu Gwalabe (Bauchi) — defected to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), while Benedict Etenabene left the Labour Party for the PDP.
The lawmakers, in resignation letters read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen during plenary, cited irreconcilable differences, internal crises and undemocratic tendencies as reasons for their defections.
Egbona, in his letter, said he was leaving the APC because the party, which he claimed to have helped build in Cross River State, had become fragmented and could no longer function effectively.
Iyawe said he was leaving the APC due to irreconcilable differences within the Edo State chapter of the party and the leadership’s refusal to address his concerns.
Those who defected from the PDP to the APM said they were leaving because of the prevailing leadership crisis, legal disputes and divisions within the party, while Benedict Etenabene said he joined the PDP following the dissolution of the elected Delta State executive committee of the Labour Party by the party’s national leadership.
