36 Lawmakers Set To Dump APC

A report has emerged that about 36 aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives might leave the party as the raging crisis over the loss of return tickets for 2019 deepened.

Bear in mind that about 70 members had protested their loss of return tickets after the party’s primary election to its appeal panel.

Incidentally, the panel was said to have resolved only eight of the cases in favour of the petitioners, leaving the majority of 62 out of the equation.

Last Wednesday, a member from Kaduna State, Mr Musa Soba, had resigned from the party on the floor of the House in Abuja to cap his protest against alleged “injustice.”

According to him, the members, after a series of meetings, had resolved to start defecting or resigning from the party in batches.

Speaking on Monday with The Punch, Soba confirmed that about 36 aggrieved members would be in the next batch to leave the APC, adding that more members would leave before November 17.

Soba stated, “About 36 more members will follow next week.

“Others will also exit before the 17th of November.”

Reacting to this, the Majority Leader of the House and leader of the APC caucus, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday, told the news outlet that there were “genuine” and “not so genuine” cases, which would ultimately be resolved by the APC.

His words: “These things are normal during election cycles when people feel short-changed. It has happened across all parties and it is how it is handled that matters.

“Some have genuine cases and some not so genuine. However, I know many of the members who might have lost out during the primaries and I believe over time when the dust settles, their issues will be resolved one way or another.

“I know them to be fierce party loyalists, who will remain true to the party. Of that, I am confident.”