APC Is Operating National Unity Government, Says Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.
By Charles Segun Adegbite
Abuja, Nigeria – May 13, 2025.
Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is now operating a government of national unity, following the defection of all federal lawmakers from Kebbi State to the ruling party.
Speaking at the Senate Chamber on Tuesday, he emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu played no role in coercing the lawmakers, noting that their decision to join the APC was based on “overriding public interest.”
Bamidele, currently representing Ekiti Central in the upper chamber, specifically commended the defectors for their decision to join the ruling APC while reflecting on how the PDP was coercing members of the opposition parties to defect to its fold when it was in government at the federal level.
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We were all in this country when PDP was the ruling party. We saw all the things that happened under the PDP in an attempt to get more states, more seats in the Senate and more seats in the House of Representatives. We are not at the polls. No one is being coerced.
He said: “We were all in this country when PDP was the ruling party. We saw all the things that happened under the PDP in an attempt to get more states, more seats in the Senate and more seats in the House of Representatives. We are not at the polls. No one is being coerced.
“If anyone is coerced, definitely the person is not Senator Adamu Aliero. All of us know that the person cannot be Senator Yahaya Abdullahi that will be co-opted. Neither will Senator Garba Maidoki with a stint in the private sector before he ventured into politics will defect to APC without clear conviction. They are not all in politics so that they can feed themselves and families." He added.
According to him, “As far as we are concerned, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi that I know will rather stay in opposition and be very loud. They all recognise that this is not the time for grandstanding. This is the time for all of us to work together to take Nigeria to the next level.
"One of the defectors has been privileged to be the Governor of Kebbi State, precisely from 1999 to 2007. He even served as the Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, he is the most ranking member of the Senate. Another one has served as the Leader of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly. These are people who know what they are doing. They can never mislead the people of Kebbi State. They can never mislead Nigeria." Bamidele explained.
One of the defectors has been privileged to be the Governor of Kebbi State, precisely from 1999 to 2007. He even served as the Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, he is the most ranking member of the Senate
The high-profile defection was formally announced in the presence of APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Nasir Idris; and other party leaders.
Senators Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki, along with Kebbi’s members in the House of Representatives, were among those who officially switched allegiance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
“This is not about politics as usual,” Bamidele said. “What we are witnessing is the rise of a broad-based coalition committed to Nigeria’s progress. Even parties that remain outside the APC, like APGA, have shown goodwill by contributing members to the national government. We are now operating a government of national unity.”
Addressing criticisms of political coercion, Bamidele defended the credibility and independence of the defectors, noting their long-standing political legacies and principled convictions. “These are statesmen who have served as governors, ministers, and senior lawmakers. They’re joining not out of desperation, but out of a desire to move the country forward,” he said.
READ ALSO: New Year Message: Bamidele Calls For Unity, Collaboration In 2025 To Achieve A Better Nigeria.
The Senate Leader also drew comparisons to previous administrations, asserting that the PDP once used state power to pressure lawmakers to defect. “No such coercion exists today. The APC's doors remain open—not just to politicians, but to every Nigerian committed to nation-building,” he concluded.
With this wave of defections, the APC further consolidates its presence in the National Assembly, reinforcing calls for cross-party collaboration and a united legislative front aimed at delivering key national reforms.
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