Over 80 per cent of non-APC lawmakers planning defection – Bamidele

Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said that over 80 per cent of federal lawmakers from opposition parties are planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He made the statement on Friday during the commissioning of multiple projects in Ilupeju, Lagos, organised by the Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area(APC), Rasaq Olusola Ajala.

The projects include the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Legacy Building, Jide Sanwo-Olu Football Arena, a 9.2-kilometre road, nine solar-powered charging cubicles, and 13 operational vehicles donated to key stakeholders. The projects include the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Legacy Building, the Jide Sanwo-Olu Football Arena, a 9.2-kilometre road, nine solar-powered charging cubicles, and the donation of 13 operational vehicles to key stakeholders.

Speaking during the ceremony, Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, told the crowd that many lawmakers from the Senate and House of Representatives had already perfected plans to switch allegiance to the APC.

“As Senate leader, I can tell you that well over 80 per cent of our colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives who are not in the APC are planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress,” he said.

He added that Nigerians would begin to see a fresh wave of defections once the National Assembly resumes plenary on Tuesday.
“You have already seen some of them make the move. By the time we resume on Tuesday, you will hear of more Senators and House of Reps members defecting, especially from the PDP to the APC,” he said.

Bamidele also accused some politicians of being desperate to seize power, claiming that they were even open to unconstitutional means.

“Some of them do not even mind a military coup. That is how desperate they are,” he said.

He described such individuals as the same people who once paraded themselves as defenders of democracy but were now plotting to destabilise the country just because they are not in government.

“These are the same people who claimed they fought for democracy. But today, just because they are not in government, they want to do everything possible to bring an end to democracy in this country,” he said,

Despite these concerns, Bamidele expressed confidence that any coalition being formed by opposition politicians would fail, adding that the APC remained committed to governance and would not be distracted.

Also speaking, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, criticised a group he described as the “Association of Defeated Candidates,” saying such alliances posed no real threat.

“There is one group calling themselves the Association of Defeated Candidates, ADC or something like that,” he said.

Hamzat defended President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in office, noting that his administration inherited huge debt but had managed to clear it.

“When Tinubu became president, Nigeria was owing a lot, and the president has paid off those debts. To pay that amount, something must be sacrificed,” he said.

He attributed the current wave of criticisms to the anger of those who had lost out politically, saying their frustration was evident.

“Naturally, the people he took over power from would be angry, and what we are seeing now is the result of that anger,” he added.

The deputy governor praised the local government’s achievements, saying some of its completed road projects rival what state governments in other parts of the country had done.

“Some states are not even doing what our local governments are doing. The roads that our local government has completed are about 90. Our state is doing very well.

“We must not sit back and allow some group to come out and claim they are forming one coalition,” Hamzat added