Senator Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West) on Wednesday said his party, the All Progressives Congress, lost the Deputy Senate Presidency to the Peoples Democratic Party because many of its senators were absent from Tuesday’s inauguration.
Melaye, who briefed newsmen in Abuja, said all the APC senators present at the inauguration voted for the APC contestant, Senator Ali Ndume, but lost because many APC senators were absent.
He said: “Those that made APC to lose the Deputy Senate Presidency yesterday were those who stayed away from the chamber.
“If they had come, we would have won.
“We stood by our party, we nominated Senator Ali Ndume and the man who seconded the motion is a Senator from Kwara.”
According to Melaye, “20 APC members were in the chamber as at the time of the election and we all voted for Ndume”.
He said the APC was neither divided nor polarised.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ndume polled 20 votes, while the PDP candidate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, polled 54 votes to emerge winner.
The PDP has 49 senators and APC, 58.
NAN.