PDP lawmakers jubilate as colleague joins APC
It was an unusual sight Thursday, as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) openly jubilated as one of their member in the House of Representatives defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP lawmakers described Hon Johnson Agbonnayinma, the defecting lawmaker as “an outcast” whose defection to the APC is a welcome development.
In a letter read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara at plenary, Hon. Agbonayinma who was loyal to the ousted chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu-Sheriff, alleged that he had been sidelined in the party.
He said after Sen. Sheriff lost at the Supreme Court, his colleagues in the house and his former party “shut the door against him”.
He said as far as they were concerned, the party remained factionalised even after the December 9 National Convention as a “concocted Unity List” was used in conducting elections.
However, instead of the PDP lawmakers to raise a point of order demanding that Dogara should declare the lawmaker’s seat vacant as they did in the past, they became jubilant and bid him farewell.
Present in the chamber to receive him was the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shuaibu, who was once a member of the House of Representatives.
Reacting to his defection, the Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuma Onyema, expressed joy over the exit of Hon. Agbonayinma, describing it as a great relief.
“It’s like getting rid of a cancer,” he said.
The PDP caucus did not urge Hon. Dogara to declare the seat vacant as with similar defections.
It had been reported that three members of the PDP were likely to ditch the party for the APC.
The three members include Nnanna Igbokwe who just defected on Tuesday, Agbonayinma who just defected, and Ben Nwankwo, who had already declared for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in Anambra State.
The defection of Agbonayinma brings the number defector lawmakers to seven.
The earlier defectors are Edward Pwajok (Plateau), Adamu Kamale (Adamawa), Hassan Sale (Benue), Zephaniah Jisalo (FCT), Yusuf Tijjani (Kogi), and Nnanna Igbokwe (Imo).
Patrick Okohue
