The Federal Government on Monday accused the Senate President, Bukola Saraki of laying the “foundation” for the gale of defections across the country.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said Saraki laid “the foundation” for defection the day he became Senate President.

Speaking during a visit to the Authority Newspapers in Abuja, the Minister noted that some politicians defected for “political calculation and personal reasons’’.

He insisted that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, was not perturbed by the gale of defections, especially by members of the National Assembly.

“We did not just start noticing this, the foundation for it was laid the day Dr Bukola Saraki became the Senate President.

“In every part of the world, when a party has the majority in Parliament, the party decides who is going to be the leader of the parliament.

“This is a case where the party was still waiting for the President to resolve the issue when Saraki, from the back door, emerged as Senate President.

“From then, we have known, because his emergence was illegal and against the wish of the party,’’ he said.

The minister said that to make the matter worse, Saraki made a deal with the opposition PDP, by conceding the Deputy Senate President’s position.

He said, “In the last two years, the National Assembly has been behaving as if the opposition is in control. We have a Senate President that is so hostile to the government.

“For three years, budgets are passed only in June. As I speak today, there has been no disbursement on capital project in 2018 budget.

“Critical appointments are also being delayed and the government is being blackmailed every day.

“I have never seen in history, where a leader of parliament will announce the defection of 15 members from his party.

“The proper thing is, if you are loyal to your party, you put stumbling blocks on such defection.”