APC now fully in charge in senate – Oyegun

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, says the party supremacy has been finally respected and its caucus in the upper chamber has been united, following the election of Senator Ahmed Lawan as Majority Leader.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said this when Senator Lawan paid him a courtesy visit along with his deputy, Bala Ibn Na-Allah, the Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye and Senator Francis Alimikhena.

The APC national chairman, who said the issue had been a thorn on the flesh of the party because it inhibited the smooth running and working of the Senate, believed as a party of change, certain principles must be observed.

He said, “We all regret that it took so long for us to arrive at the position we are today. What is important is that it has finally happened. The APC caucus in the senate will now take full charge, control and dominance as the governing party and the majority party in the senate.

“What is right is what is right and it is now clear that the authority and the supremacy of the party have finally been recognized, which is a critical ingredient to the smooth function of the apparatus of governance.”

According to him, “Today, we have a united party, a united Senate and a Senate that is firmly under the control of the APC. That will only mean one thing and that is the fact that we all recognize the challenge before this nation. We all recognize the fact that we must all line up behind Mr. President.

This is a critical year and we have a beautiful budget. The senate is united. The party is strengthened and consolidated. So, it is time to put our weight behind the executive to show that the project is fully and faithfully executed so that the people of this nation will begin to see the change that we promised.”

He congratulated the new Senate leader for the decorum he had maintained and added that the former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, was not removed for loss of confidence but as an effort to unite the party.

He said with the decision in the Senate, the party could say that the so-called crises within the APC were on the way to be “fully and permanently put behind” them.

He also voiced satisfaction that the differences among the party stakeholders in the south west would soon be over, following the Ibadan meeting.

While speaking, Senator Lawan said the action taken in the Senate was done to recognize the party supremacy and restore stability in the Senate caucus, the highest level of the party and government.

Lawan, who said the APC Senate caucus is now united, added that the Senate President would soon invite the national chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC) for a meeting with the APC caucus in the National Assembly.

He said, “We see this as a mid-term opportunity for the party, having realised this at a very critical point in time in 2017, which is a critical and crucial year.

As a party in government, we must take this opportunity to maintain and sustain the tempo and momentum of performance, so that we can continue to sustain progress in government to deliver services to Nigeria.

On the report that the APC senators were alleged to have started doing everything to get the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, impeached, he said “I don’t know about that.

I have no idea, all I know is that my colleagues in the Senate APC caucus held a meeting and decided that I should be made the Senate leader and that happened Tuesday last week as you all know.”