Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome has expressed his views on the legality of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s defection from the All Progressives Party (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Although there have been defections by a sitting vice president (Atiku Abubakar) and a speaker of the House of Representatives (Aminu Tambuwal), Mr Saraki on Tuesday became the first Senate President in Nigeria to leave his party while in office.
Mr Saraki had made a formal announcement of his exit from the APC on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts.
“I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he wrote on his Twitter handle.
However, Ozekhome in his reaction explained that Mr Saraki was free to announce his defection through any means but added that he must also write an official letter to the office of the Senate President informing it of his defection, like every other Senator, in order to legalise the process.
He told journalists in Abuja yesterday: “He (Mr Saraki) will write to the Senate President also, but his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, will preside over the session where it will be read.
“Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 constitution refers.”
Mr. Saraki joined the APC on January 29, 2014 after falling out with the then PDP government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan.
He was among 11 PDP senators of the period who informed the Senate of their departure from the PDP on that date.
Two months before then – November 2013 – Governor Ahmed, alongside four other then PDP governors defected to the APC.
They were Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rabi’u Kwankwaso (Kano). Mr. Kwankwaso, now a senator, last week returned to the PDP.
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