Defections:Despite Oshiomholes Braggadocio, APC continues to hemorrhage

More defections continue from the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to principally the Peoples democratic party, PDP, since the massive defection of over fourteen senators and thirty five members of the House of Representatives decamped to the opposition peoples democratic Party, PDP. Since then, the fortunes of the ruling party APC has been on implosion activated mode. Following the aftermath of the defections, the Benue state governor was compelled to defect due to pressures from Benue Youth, and he took majority of his local government chairmen with him.
Determined to make an example of him to deter others from decamping, the police led a minority of the house of Assembly members, who were supporters of the impeached APc speaker of the house of Assembly to serve an impeachment notice on the governor. Within the same period, the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, reported to the office of the Economic and Financial crimes Commission, EFCC, and was detained for several hours. It was reported that Ekweremadu was asked to resign his Deputy senate presidency to be set free. But he was later set free on official recognition.
Watching the progress of the whole defection saga, the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, was said to have contacted his lawyers, who are senior Advocates, and prepared for court. Then he did the predictable: he himself decamped to the PDP.Following on his heels were the whole Kwara state government, from the government to the local government chairman. As if that was not terrible enough, Bolaji Abdulklahi, known as Saraki boy, resigned as the spokesperson of the APC to join PDP. The former Thisday reporter is expected to fly the PDP gubernotorial flag of the PDP in Kwara state with the Saraki Machinery behind him. He is expected to square iot out with the APC spokesperson, Lai Mohamed.And then, Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, defected to the PDP.Saraki perhaps waited until he is sure of a clear majority in the Senate before decamping. That, according to sources, is what is holding the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, from decamping yet. Consultations and lobbying are ongoing to get more decampees in the House of Representatives. As it is now, the PDP has 55 members and APC 50 members.Thgis makes the opposition party to have majority in the Senate for the first time in the History of Nigeria. It also made Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Minority leader, to become the majority leader, thereby making him ripoe to be saddled with executive bill. Ahmed Lawan, hitherto the majority leader, is now the minority leader.
Ironically, Akpabio before now has been romancing the idea of decamping to the APC. As it is now, that idea is currently jettisoned. President Buhari had today summoned him to Aso Rock where they had a closed door meeting.It is believed to be connected with his initial defection plan. The outcome of the meeting was unknown at press time.
Governor Tmabuwal defection is also one of the expected permutations. He has been having a running battle wit his predecessor, Aliyu Wamako,who was initially a sort of godfather to him. Butthings fell apart when Wamako appears to be favoring his deputy, Muktar Shagari, to the Chagrin of Tambuwal. Besides, Tambuwal became estranged to the power brokers when he invited foreign investors to build a standard cattle ranch in Sokoto. And he became a vocal critic of the Buhari Government, of which he is one. It reached a peak when the village where the ranch is sited was attacked by Fulani Hewrdsmen who have been advocating for cattle colony as a cover for tribal expansionism. The foreign contractors fled. Tambuwal now wants to consolidate his position by contesyting under the umbrella.
With such massive defections, the ruling party has been understandably rattled.More governors are expected to defect in the coming days. Hints are that nine Ambassadors and five ministers may soon join their colleagues in PDP. The hemorrhage continues.
Meanwhile, Olusegun Obasanjo, former president who is at the forefront of the Buhari must go Campaign, was in Otuoke over the weekend as a guest of former president Jonathan.After the meeting, Obasanjo went for medical check up in a Bayelsa hospital, and announced that doctors have declared him healthy. This coincided with the announcement of Femi Adesina that President Buhari will proceed to London for medical check up on August 3. In his absence, Yomi Osinbajo will hold office. Analysts would want to believe that he had to step aside for tension to cool.
With the trend of things, September may yet see the worst defections ever in Nigerian politics.