The immediate past Senate Majority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has reacted to reports that Senate President Bukola Saraki would declare his seat vacant following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akpabio who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Monday, said he is not perturbed by reports that his seat would be declared vacant.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State, who cross carpeted from PDP to APC at a political rally in his home town of Ikot-Ekpene last week, said that if his seat should be declared vacant, then that of Saraki and other defectors in the upper legislative chamber, should not be spared.
It would be recalled that on July 24, 2018, Saraki read the defection letters of 14 APC senators.
The lawmakers include: Rabi’u Kwankwaso (Kano Central), Dino Melaye (Kogi West), Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo Central), Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara South), Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North) and Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun Central).
Others are Usman Nafada (Gombe North), Ibrahim Dambaba (Sokoko South), Ubale Shittu (Jigawa North East), Isa Misau (Bauchi Central), Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi North), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara North) and Barnabas Gemade (Benue North East).
The latest to defect was Saraki who also defected from APC to PDP.
Section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), provides that a lawmaker who defects from his party without division in his party will lose his seat.
Speaking on the matter, Akpabio who represents Akwa Ibom North West in the National Assembly said: “Even as you are looking at me, do I look perturbed? I have not heard the report. Because the reason why I think that is a rumour is that there is, at the moment, no division in the APC. The APC is one family.
“If you hear about R-APC that was not really a political party that was not a division, has since been consumed in what they call Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). So, there is no division. And so, any defection from APC to PDP, we will like to declare those seats vacant”.
On the report by APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, that APC senators should impeach Saraki this week, he said he is yet to be briefed on the matter.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
