President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, assured that he will continue to make efforts to stop the defection of some Senators from the All Progressives Congress following their failure to get return tickets to the National Assembly at the last primary elections.
Towards this end, the President on Tuesday received in some APC Senators l in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, over the outcome of the party primaries and its implications.
The Senators were led by the Senate Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
Noting the Senators’ concern about the future of the ruling party, Buhari praised the lawmakers’ efforts towards finding a lasting solution.
He said that as the leader of the party, one of his roles is to create the environment for members to air their grievances.
The President said he had noted their concerns over the outcomes of the just concluded party primaries, the threat to the majority held by the APC in the National Assembly and its likely consequences to the fortunes of the party ahead of general elections, stressing that “We must not allow these dire threats to come to pass.”
Noting that there must be a winner and loser in every contest, Buhari added that he had received series of complaints concerning the primaries.
He, therefore, promised to continue to address the challenges through the party machinery, urging party members to exercise restraint.
“Justice shall prevail, aggrieved members shall be assuaged and the interest of the party and the nation shall be protected,” he said.
Buhari thanked the senators for suggesting a meeting on the issues, which included the future of the party and pursuing solutions to the challenges thrown up by the recent election related activities, particularly, the primaries.
The President said the APC leadership would sustain the hearing and healing process that it started to ensure fairness, justice and oneness ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He told the APC senators that the strength and victory of the party in the election would depend on unity of members and ability to prevent injustices or heal them, perceived or real.
According to him, “Notwithstanding the fact that we have accomplished 23 years of an uninterrupted democratic governance, our journey is still in a nascent stage and we continue to learn from our challenges and mistakes.
“Similarly our party is still evolving in its culture and practice and it is my expectations and hope that we should attain a mature level in our internal conduct.
“I must acknowledge that in every contest there must be a level playing ground, just as there would be grievances at the end. That is the test of our democratic credentials, systems and practices.
“I have since the conclusion of the process been inundated with various reports and complaints. In keeping with our ethos therefore I shall continue to address the insuring challenges and grievances through the party machinery while paying keen attention to the outcomes.
“I must also remind you of the primary primacy of justice in all our actions, if justice is denied its outcome is usually unpleasant, this is because you the members keep the party running. I should add that as part of the policy of using the party machinery for effective resolutions of conflict, the chairman and some members of the National Working Committee visited the National Assembly recently to dialogue with our legislator’s.
“The leadership of the party is currently addressing the outcomes as part of the way forward. I am encouraging all the party functionaries to adhere to the truth and to be fair to all parties in any dispute. This is important because our strength and victory in the election lies in the unity of the party in our ability to prevent or heal any injustice perceived or real.
Leader of the delegation, Sen. Kalu, disclosed that at least 22 senators and members of the party were unhappy with the outcome of the primaries in their states, noting that they felt disenfranchised by the process.
He said since the lawmakers had made sacrifices for the growth of the party and democracy in the country, the President should make a kind intervention.
“Mr President, in the Senate we have worked hard and consistently sold your programmes beyond party lines. Be assured always of our support,’’ Kalu said.
