I’m a member of APC in body and spirit, says Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki says he is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in “body and in spirit”.

Speaking at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja, Saraki said the speculation that he is an undecided member of the APC is mere propaganda spread by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He, however, blamed the speculation on the inactivity of the APC, saying  the party’s leadership “has failed to focus it properly”.

While charging the party’s executive to wake up to its responsibility, he said the docility in the party is giving room for unfounded allegations against some of its members.

“I think there is no APC member that will tell you he is happy with the state of affairs of the party; there is a lot of work that we need to do,” he said.

“The party that hasn’t met for a long time, it’s beyond comprehension and I think that we should all quickly put that in order and start to get NEC, caucus and others going. We need to start early to get the drive in the party back.

“Luckily, in spite of the lack of meetings here and there, if you go round the 36 states, it is in just few states, not many states, where you may see internal crisis.”

Saraki also said if there had been meetings of the party, his detractors would have seen how actively involved he was in the party “and will not have any room to spread such lies”.

“They are just using that to do a propaganda for PDP. Where are they seeing that I am not in the party in spirit? Where is the spirit they are judging from, where are they seeing the spirit,” he added.

On the allegation that his emergence as senate president was an affront to the party, Saraki said he had kept the wishes of the party, including zoning of senate president’s position.

He said at the last meeting of the party, the position of president of the senate was zoned to the north-central.

“It was after that the party started to do different things, shifting its position,” he said.

“The point I’m making is that that’s over two years ago; two years now, is that the reason why the party cannot hold meetings? My own point is that the executive of the party just needs to wake up and start managing the party.”