Akpabio’s defection bigger than Saraki’s, others – Lawan

Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, has stated that the defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was bigger than all other defections from the APC to the PDP.
The former Minority Leader, Akpabio, formally defected from the PDP to the APC and was received into the party during a rally at the Ikot Ekpene Stadium in a ceremony that attracted the leading lights of the ruling party.
Speaking at the rally, Lawan asserted that Akpabio’s defection from the PDP to the APC commands more electoral influence and in fact has “swallowed” every other recent defection from the ruling party.
Perhaps in a veiled reference to the defection of Governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, AbdulFatih Ahmed of Sokoto and Kwara States respectively, Senate President Saraki, and 11 senators defected to from the ruling party to the main opposition PDP.
The APC lost 14 senators and 37 members of the House of Representatives in one day.
Notwithstanding, Lawan said Akpabio’s defection to the APC is one bigger than that of those senators. “Senator Akpabio’s defection has swallowed all the others.
It is one that is equal to more than 14 others,” he said.
“This uncommon senator is a nationalist who believes in a united Nigeria; in a stable Nigeria and in the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
He believes that Nigerians should support this very good and noble cause.
“From this moment,Akpabio is a full-blooded APC caucus member; but he has always been.
He has always been a patriotic Nigerian”, he said stressing Akpabio had always offered constructive criticism even as a PDP member.
“I used to refer to him as the minority leader; I never call him opposition leader because he has always been considerate as minority leader, as someone who should be opposing government. “He has always considered the national interest first.
And therefore, what he did was meaningful opposition to what we do in this country.
He is always conscious of the fact that we need stability and unity.