The Senate caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that it still retains majority seats in the upper legislative chamber despite the defection on Tuesday of 14 of its members to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Briefing journalists after an emergency meeting held shortly after the plenary session, the senators said the defection did not in any relegate them to minority status in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said the APC still has 52 members, while the PDP has 50.
Senator Joshua Dariye who is presently serving a 14-year jail term was counted among the 52 senators of the APC.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has three; the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has two. There are two vacant seats occasioned by the death of two senators from Bauchi and Katsina.
Lawan said the APC would win back the two vacant seats occupied by Senator Ali Wakili (Bauchi) and Mustapha Bukar (Katsina) until their death recently.
This, according to him, would raise the membership strength of the party to 54.