There are indications on Saturday that the leadership of the Senate and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have worked out effective modalities towards aborting moves by some aggrieved Senators, elected on the platform of the party, to defect to the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC).
Sunday Independent gathered at the weekend, that discussions have been on-going between Senate President, David Mark, and PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, on the best approach to woo back Senators, whose minds are already made up to dump the PDP for APC, as soon as the Christmas and New Year are over.
Following the Wednesday cross over of 37 PDP House of Representatives members to the APC, an Abuja Federal High Court had issued an injunction, restraining the Senate President, the PDP National Chairman, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), from declaring vacant the seats of 22 Senators when they eventually declare for APC.
The court order given by Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Abuja Federal High Court, it was learnt, was to make the proposed defection of the 22 Senators legal.
About 79 lawmakers, including Reps members and Senators had jointly filed the suit. The order of court reads that he defendants should maintain the status quo on any proposed deliberation to declare the seats of the affected persons and interested plaintiffs vacant, at least, pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiff’s motion for interlocutors injunction.
It was learnt on Saturday from Senate sources that Mark and Tukur have scheduled a private meeting with the affected Senators immediately after the Christmas holiday, where Sunday Independent learnt that both men would appeal to the APC bound Senators to reconsider their moves.
A yet to be disclosed offers would be made to the Senators to woo them back to remain in the PDP.
Thereafter, Mark and Tukur, the Senate source revealed, would equally meet with President Goodluck Jonathan along with the Senators, where the President would reach some understanding with the Senators.
Presently, there are feelers that the arrowheads of the pro-APC Senators are on a desperate converts drive to have more PDP Senators embrace their ranks.
The leadership of the Senate is also reported to be making attempts to divide their ranks, while at he same time, deploying a diplomatic approach of dialogue and mouth watering carrots to secure their loyalty to PDP.
The spate of defections of Federal lawmakers of PDP stock to APC is however reported to be giving the leadership of PDP, the Presidency and the Senate goose pimples.
The PDP National Chairman indeed admits this fact, but believes that the only remedy to the gale of defections is the institution of another round of reconciliation machinery to resolve the grievances of members, especially the federal lawmakers.
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