Lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives in Nigeria have been asked to ensure that they win the battle for supremacy between their party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the National Assembly.
The battle for supremacy started after several PDP lawmakers defected to the APC late last year, giving the APC an unprecedented upper hand in the House.
The APC lawmakers had initiated a move to take over majority leadership of the House after the defection gave the party a majority. But a court order had barred them from taking such decision. The court had ordered that the leadership of the House must not be altered pending when the court will make a final ruling on the case.
“Maintain Status quo,” the court told the lawmakers.
The APC leadership’s call on the lawmakers at a late night meeting held in Abuja on Monday is aimed at ensuring that the lawmakers do not relent in the pursuit to take over the leadership of the House of Representative.
At the meeting held at the National Assembly, the state governors and party chieftains saluted the courage and determination of the lawmakers and encouraged them to continue to demonstrate the ideology of the party.
The meeting was the first between the APC caucus in the House of Representatives and the party leadership since the defections.
It is coming at a time when it appears the party may be winning more lawmakers to its camp in the National Assembly, as some 11 PDP Senators have sent a letter to the Senate President, David Mark, indicating intentions to defect.
The governors of the party also encouraged the lawmakers to make sure they stand on the side of history.
The opposition party also reiterated its readiness to commence the registration of members across the country on Wednesday, a process it says will mark the beginning of its drive to bring change to the country.
Not less than 30 lawmakers in the House of Representatives have defected to the APC.