More lawmakers set to dump APC ‘sinking’ ship

At plenary on Tuesday, 15 senators and 37 House of Representatives members left the party for other political parties. Fourteen of the senators and 32 of the representatives joined the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

“We came together because of what was being proposed to the people of Nigeria as we believed in change and a better Nigeria,” he said.

“Sadly, no sooner we formed government in May 2015, the party put itself on course to be derailed and that derailment has continued to today.

“Some of us have been agitating that we should go back to the ideals that brought us together, but the party was not listening.

“The party rather embarked on victimization and criminalisation of its members, those perceived as opponents and have divergent views.”

He said the party set itself on the line of destruction when the aggrieved members brought up their concerns but were castigated and referred to as “inconsequential and as nobody”.

“Putting all that together and the interest of the country, particularly as the APC has derailed from the ideals that will propel Nigeria to advance, we felt we have to take this step we took today,” he said.

Atunwa said the defectors were interested in economic development, respect for parliament and rule of law, while the APC was concerned about membership to form majority.

He said the PDP, in the past three years, had learnt its lesson, saying they had monitored and had seen that the PDP had taken corrective measures.

He said having been beaten at the polls in 2015, the PDP had got its act together and was now a reformed party, adding that it was the reason they felt confident to return to the party.