The Majority Leader of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan has maintained that despite Tuesday’s mass defection of members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to opposition parties, the party still retains its majority in the National Assembly.

Lawan, who spoke on Tuesday while briefing newsmen in Abuja after a closed door meeting of APC caucus members said there was no cause for concern as the ruling party remained in control of the National Assembly.

He said: “Out of the 109 Senate seats, the APC has 52, the PDP has 50, the ADC has three and APGA has two. Recall that we lost two of our colleagues, one from Katsina, one from Bauchi.

“So, we have two vacancies. If you put this together we have 109. I want to assure you that by the grace of God, INEC will conduct by-elections to fill in the vacancies in Bauchi and Katsina and by the grace of God they are our safest seats.

“We are still expecting some of our colleagues in the PDP who are originally our members to defect. They have expressed willingness to join APC and for our colleagues that have left, we are still optimistic that many of them or all of them will have a change of heart.

“APC remains the majority party in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.”

Lawan said the APC lawmakers would continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver on the promise he made to Nigerians.

“This administration of APC is focused, the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is doing so much for this country. We need to work to support the president to ensure that Nigeria reduces its deficit in infrastructure, so that the social investment we are making will come to fruition.

“Every well meaning Nigerian is supposed to support the president to fight all those few challenges that we have across the country,” he said.

Fourteen lawmakers had earlier at plenary on Tuesday, announced their defection to the PDP and other parties,” Lawan added.

He thereafter gave the names of the 52 senators still with the APC to include Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi), Bala Ibn N’Allah (Kebbi), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto) and Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara).

Others, he said are Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara), Tijjani Kaura (Zamfara), Abu Ibrahim (Katsina), Umar Kurfi (Katsina), Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Barau Jibrin (Kano), Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa), Sabo Mohammed (Jigawa), Shehu Sani (Kaduna).

Lawan also listed Ahmed Lawan (Yobe),Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe), Ali Ndume (Borno), Abubakar Kyari (Borno), Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno), Sabi Abdullahi (Niger), David Umaru (Niger), Mustapha Mohammed (Niger), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) as other senators still in the APC.

Others are George Akume (Benue), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Francis Alimikhena (Edo), Andy Uchendu (Rivers), Magnus Abe(Rivers), Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta), John Eno (Cross River), Nelson Effiong (Akwa Ibom), Andy Uba (Anambra), Sonni Ugboji (Ebonyi), Hope Uzodinma (imo), Ben Uwajumogu (Imo), Danjuma Goje (Gombe).

Lawan’s list also included Binta Masi (Adamawa), Ahmed Abubakar (Adamawa), Yusuf Yusuf (Taraba), Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos), Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Lagos) and Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo).

According to Lawan, the rest are Gbolahan Dada (Ogun), Soji Akanbi (Oyo), Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo), Yele Omogunwa (Ondo), Abdullahi Buhari (Oyo), Babajide Omoworare (Osun), Olusola Adeyeye (Osun) as well as Fatima Raji-Rasaki (Ekiti).