The Nigerian Senate has confirmed that 11 senators from President Goodluck Jonathan’s party have quit to join the opposition.
This is the latest in the senate in a series of defections that have hit the House of Representatives already.
Among the senators that defected are Bukola Saraki, Mohammed Ndume, Danjuma Goje and Abdullahi Adamu.
The senators communicated their decision to joining the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in a letter addressed to the Senate President, David Mark. There are reports that some more senators will defect in the coming weeks.
“The 11 senators have communicated to the house about their defection, their defection will officially be recognized by the house upon the resumption of the upper legislative chamber next week,’’ Senator President, David Mark said.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been hit by serious in-fighting ahead of the election with a powerful faction of state governors who also have already broken away to join the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC)
Some 37 members of the House of Representatives defected last year, wiping out the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s majority in the lower house. Nigeria has two house of parliament, the lower house which is the House of Representatives and the upper house which is the Senate.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) said in a statement that the defection is as a result of factionalism in the party and called for unity for the survival of the party.
“This action and decision is as a result of the division and fictionalization in the party, we therefore call for unity to avert the collapse of the party,” the PDP said in a statement.
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo criticized President Jonathan last year and said it would be “morally flawed” for President Jonathan to seek re-election in 2015. Nigeria is due to hold general elections in 2015.
Mr. Obasanjo said Mr. Jonathan is using his political power to his advantage and not doing enough to fight corruption and other problems facing the country.
The PDP has won every national election since military rule ended in Nigeria in 1999 but political analysts say the party has not been able to tackle the country’s challenges.
Mr. Jonathan moved from the vice-presidency to the presidency in 2010 after his predecessor, Umaru Yar’Adua, died in office. He won elections the following year.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
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