Defection: APC Welcomes Akpabio After Meeting Buhari In London

Related stories

Super Falcons dethrone South Africa, romp into WAFCON final in Morocco

The Super Falcons of Nigeria booked their place in...

Big Oil’s Power Couple Heads to Guyana

Following the completion of Chevron’s acquisition of Hess Corporation,...

The U.S. Has Only The 10th Most Powerful Passport: Here’s What That Means

The United States blue book continues its decade-long slide...

2027: PDP Eyeing Jonathan, Others for Presidential Race, Party Official Reveals

By Nwosa Hamilton  In a strategic move to broaden its...

$24 Billion Loan: Senate Approves Tinubu’s Request, Loan Strategy

By Abiola Olawale The Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola...

By ‘Dotun Akintomide

Following the imminent announcement of Senator Godswill Akpabio’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed pleasure with his decision to join its fold, having suffered some defections in recent weeks.

The New Diplomat had reported how top APC leaders have been courting the Senate Minority leader since the rift between him and his estranged political Godson, Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom reached a crescendo, leading to rumours making the round about his defection.

On Sunday in Lagos, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said his party welcomes his defection as the APC continues to push for a reverse defection from the PDP fold to counter balance what it lost in recent gale of defections.

“I welcome it (defection of Akpabio) because all politics is local. All those who have left us did that for purely personal reasons.

“Since they say politics is a game of number, of course we welcome gladly the defection of the Minority leader like they say it is one-one goalless draw.

On whether Akpabio was being positioned for the position of the Senate President Mohammed said,” that I don’t know”.

Mohammed said that the recently defection of some governors, state and federal lawmakers to the main opposition party, PDP, was nothing to worry about.

“There have been so much hype about this defection, and to me it’s nothing but a storm in a tea cup. We must appreciate the fact that at the end of the day, all politics is local.

“One should ask, what is the electoral value of these decampees? In order words, today in Sokoto State, what’s the electoral value of those who have decamped?

He stated that since the day the Senate President, Bukola Saraki lobbied the opposition party to become the Senate President, the relationship between the executive and legislature had been turbulent.

“In fact, we could not have suffered more as an executive in the hands of the legislature if a PDP person had been the senate president,” he said.

Akpabio, Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West District, is reported to have also visited President Muhammadu Buhari in London, currently in UK for a 10-day vacation.

Also a tweet by Bashir Ahmad ‏Verified account @BashirAhmaad read: “Today in London, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Senate Minority Leader visited President Muhammadu Buhari.

It would be recalled that last week he met with the National leader of APC, Bola Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Super Falcons dethrone South Africa, romp into WAFCON final in MoroccoBig Oil’s Power Couple Heads to GuyanaThe U.S. Has Only The 10th Most Powerful Passport: Here’s What That Means2027: PDP Eyeing Jonathan, Others for Presidential Race, Party Official Reveals$24 Billion Loan: Senate Approves Tinubu's Request, Loan StrategyAlleged N80.2bn Fraud: Court Throws Out Yahaya Bello's Travel Request[VIDEO] Natasha vs Akpabio: Tension as Natasha Denied Access To National Assembly Complex2027: Drama as Davido's Uncle, Gov Adeleke, Osun PDP Endorse TinubuDetails as NNPC Remits N6.69 trn to Federation Account in First Half of 2025Just In! CBN Retains Interest Rate at 27.5% for Third Time in 2025Datti Baba-Ahmed Attends Abure-Led Labour Party NEC Meeting, Vows to Reunite Obi, Otti, OthersJust In! Nigeria’s Economy Surges with 3.13% Growth in Q1 2025, NBS ReportsLabour Party's Crisis Deepens As Abure-Led Faction Rejects Nenadi Usman’s LeadershipDrama as ADC’s 2023 Presidential Candidate Kachikwu Says, Obi Plans to Exit Coalition (VIDEO) Falana, Shehu Sani, Others Blast Kemi Badenoch Over Claim on Nigerian Citizenship Laws 
X whatsapp