By Daniel Kanu
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday said members of the National Assembly who defected en-masse on Tuesday from the ruling party to two opposition parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Party (ADP) – were “mercenaries” and “share the money” politicians.
He said that he was happy that they left.
TheNiche had earlier reported how 15 senators and 37 members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday left the APC. Majority joined the PDP while four House of Representatives members from Oyo State joined the ADC. Another Rep member who also dumped the ruling party did not immediately disclose his new party.
Oshiomhole, who spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, said those who left were “mercenaries” who were in APC just to win election.
He said the governing party is “not disturbed at all” and that he was not losing sleep over the defections.
Mr Oshiomhole also said it was good that those who never believed in the APC were leaving ahead the electioneering activities because that would enable the party concentrate on its campaigns.
He said those who defected cannot affect the electoral fortunes of the APC because President Muhammadu Buhari got more votes than they did in their own constituencies in the 2015 elections.
He described the defectors as right wing politicians who believe in the philosophy of “share the money” and did not belong to the progressives group.
He said even while they were in the APC, they constituted themselves as opposition to the governing party.