President Muhammadu Buhari has assured senators the Congress of all progressives (APC) who are aggrieved by the recent primaries of the party that justice will prevail.
He asked the senators to exercise patience and refrain from making any decisions that could harm the party.
The president said this when some APC senators, some 22 of them, visited him at Government House in Abuja on Tuesday.
The lawmakers, led by Senate Chief Orji Kalu, had promised to defect from the party over the outcome of primaries in their states, before the 2023 general election.
They said they felt disenfranchised by the process.
The party has recently been hit by a flurry of defections since its primary election last month.
Some senators have already left the party and joined other opposition parties such as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
A common reason legislators gave for leaving the ruling party was a lack of internal democracy and interference from their state governors.
Last week, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu met with the party’s Senate committee over the defections of top party members.
Addressing the senators, Mr. Buhari said he will strengthen the culture of internal democracy and dispute resolution in the party.
This, he said, it will do by creating the opportunity for members to air their opinions, views and complaints at different levels.
“I have taken note of your complaints, particularly regarding the recently concluded processes. The cost to the nation, the threat to most of our party’s seats in the legislative chambers, and the potential fallout for the party’s electoral fortunes as we head into the general election. We must not allow these terrible threats to come true,” he said.
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While acknowledging the presence of a level playing field in each contest, the president urged them to view the ensuing complaints as evidence of democratic credentials, systems and practices.
The party leadership is currently addressing the results as part of the way forward, he said as he admonished all party officials to stick to the truth and be fair to all parties in any dispute.
“Finally, let me assure you that justice will prevail, aggrieved members will be relieved in the interest of the party, and the nation will be protected.”
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Kalu, who described the meeting as successful, said that the issue of “leaving our party has been resolved”.
Although the party’s chairman and national chairman have promised to address the issues raised by aggrieved lawmakers, it is unclear how they intend to “solve” them, particularly those who have lost their return tickets.