27 Reps defect as APC strengthens majority in House

Reps: APC 280, PDP 38, ADC 15, LP 12, NNPP 5, Accord 2, APP 2

NO fewer than 27 members of the House of Representatives, yesterday, announced a change in party affiliation, triggering a fresh realignment within the lower chamber, with the All Progressives Congress, APC, emerging the biggest beneficiary.

Following the defections, the APC gained about 14 lawmakers, despite losing two members, bringing its total strength in the House to approximately 280. Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which remains the largest opposition party, now has 38 members.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, increased its membership to 15, while Labour Party now has 12 lawmakers.

New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, which initially had 18 members, has seen its number dwindled to five, while Accord  and Action Peoples Party, APP, now have two members each.

This marks a significant shift from the composition at the inauguration of the 10th Assembly on June 23, 2023, when  APC held about 181 seats against the opposition’s 179, with the PDP alone accounting for about 115 members.

A breakdown of the latest defections shows that the ADC gained eight lawmakers, while Accord and APP recorded two new members each. The Labour Party gained one member.

Among the notable defections, the deputy spokesman of the House, Phillip Agbese, dumped the APC for the Labour Party, citing the protracted political crisis in Benue State. His move makes him the first lawmaker elected on the APC platform in the current Assembly to defect to a minority party.

Also, Ademola Akani and Lanre Omoleye defected from the PDP to Accord, while Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and Anthony Nwogu (Labour Party, Imo) joined the APP.

House Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinnobi, led a group of lawmakers from the Labour Party to the ADC. Others who moved to the ADC include Harris Uchenna (LP, Anambra), Yahaya Tongo (PDP, Gombe), Oluwaseyi Sowumi (LP, Lagos), Aliyu Mustapha Abdullahi (APC, Kaduna), Mani Maishinko (PDP, Sokoto), Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), and Umar Yusuf Yabo (PDP, Sokoto).

Similarly, eight lawmakers, Mustapha Ghali Tijani, Mohammed Umar Shehu, Dankwa Idris, Hassan Shehu, Tanimu Yusuf, Mohammed Ciroma, Sani Madaki, and Tijani Jobe—defected from the NNPP to the APC.

Other PDP members who joined the APC include Ja’afaru Yakubu and Sadiq Tafida (both from Taraba), Ibrahim Mohammed (Kebbi), and Hassan Shinkafi.

Speaking on his decision, Sani Madaki, who served as Deputy Minority Leader before his defection, attributed his exit from the NNPP to internal divisions and protracted legal disputes within the party, particularly disagreements linked to the Kwankwasiyya movement.

On his part, Ozodinnobi said the lingering crisis in the Labour Party had undermined its collective agenda, noting that his move to the ADC would better position him to contribute to national development.

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