Defectors should lose their seats, privileges – Senator Arise

Senator Ayo Arise

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State, Senator Ayo Arise has urged the leadership of the ruling APC to begin moves that would ensure that members of the National Assembly who defected from the party lost their seats.

DAILY POST recalls that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, former Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso and other high-profile members of the party from the National Assembly and beyond recently defected from the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Arise, in a chat with our correspondent, noted that there was no division or factions in the party that could warrant such mass defection, advising the party leadership to move against all the defectors.

Arise, who represented Ekiti North Senatorial District in the 6th Assembly, disclosed that the latest trend of defections in the legislature, which he described as immoral where people took mandate of voters to another party, must be brought to an end.

He advised the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC to approach the Supreme Court and remove all the Senators and House of Representatives members that have defected, warning that the nation cannot survive if the trend was not put in check.

His words, “ My position on this is that we can’t continue in this manner as a nation because what is wrong is wrong.

“I am of the opinion that when you are voted in on a particular platform and you move away from that platform, the individual should lose the privileges because the party is supreme to individuals. These people that have moved should be ready to drop their seats and go for a new election.

“As for me, there is no excuse, drama or smart moves that will justify anyone who was voted in from a particular party to move and still enjoy all the privileges of that party without the consent of people that voted for you. In any way you look at it, it can never be right.

“ When I was in the Senate, my position was that anyone that moves, you forfeit the privileges. We must put an end to this immoral movements and unjustifiable one.

“At a point, the National Assembly said you can move when there is a division, but now where is the division? Those people making noise (R-APC) have no convention or party executives whatsoever. There is no division or factions in the APC.

“ I want to say the party should move against them and go to the Supreme Court to remove these people.”

Arise urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be ready to conduct elections to replace those that have left the party, noting that none of them including the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has the right to continue in the seat.

“Saraki should not only drop the Senate Presidency but he should lose his seat. He does not have any right to continue with that seat and I want to urge INEC to conduct new election for those that have left,” Arise concluded.

-Daily Post