The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday faulted a call that the Senate should declare vacant, Senator Godswill Akpabio’s seat because he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party.
The call was made by the Reformed APC (R-APC) in a statement by its spokesman, Kassim Afegbua.
APC described R-APC’s request to Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki to declare the seat of Senator Akpabio vacant, as “a borrowed and scripted tactic – sensationalism and comical conspiracies – typically used by unknown groups to get media attention to their normally unserious activities… which should not be given any attention and credence.”
It added: “The real issue remains our clear position that the Senate President should honourably step down or be impeached. Dr. Saraki’s ‘vote of no confidence’, which the so-called R-APC alleges has since been passed, going by our party’s rejection of his leadership of the Senate, we reiterate that the Senate president, being a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in an All Progressives Congress (APC) numerically-dominated Senate, cannot maintain a minority rule in the Upper House.”
R-APC, in a statement by Afegbua, called on the Senate president “to invoke the provisions of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in declaring the seat of Senator Akpabio vacant. It is not on record that there is division in the opposition PDP, hence this declaration will be a step in the right direction.
“As the National Assembly plans to resume on Tuesday, we are calling on Nigerians and lovers of democracy to be extra-vigilant before and during the plenary. The latest plans by the APC may yet again leave unsavoury taste in our mouths.”
R-APC alleged that there were plans by APC senators “to make the Tuesday date another kettle of fish for the illegal impeachment (removal) of the Senate President,” adding that there would be “orchestrated rancourous plenary session from where impeachment motion will be raised and their illegality perpetrated. ”
It also alleged that there was vote-buying in weekend’s by-elections in Katsina North and Bauchi South senatorial elections and victimisation of people, who defected from the PDP to the APC.