Eleven Senators in Nigeria, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A formal letter to this effect has been delivered to the Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday and it is expected to be read on the floor of the Senate.
The Senators that defected to the APC are; Umaru Dahiru from Sokoto South, Magnus Ngei Abe from Rivers South-East, Wilson Asinobi Ake from Rivers West, Bindawa Muhammed Jibrilla from Adamawa North and Mohammed Danjuma Goje from Gombe Central.
Others are Aisha Jummai Alhassan from Taraba North, Mohammed Ali Ndume from Borno South, Mohammed Shaba Lafiaji from Kwara North, Abdulahi Adamu from Nasarawa West and Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir from Sokoto East.
A list attached to the letter sent to the Senate president contained 16 names but only 11 signed, indicating their intention to defect.
The other Senators in the list that did not sign are; Ahmed Muhammed Maccido from Sokoto North, Saidu Ahmed Alkali from Gombe North, Basheer Garba Mohammed from Kano Central, Ahmed Zanna from Borno Central and Ahmed Hassan Barata from Adamawa South.
There are chances that more Senators will defect to the APC as it was not clear why the five Senators did not sign.
Thinking Of What To Gain
A political analyst and lawyer, Osahon Ihehene, said there was no ideology behind the defections, as they were all triggered by selfish interest.
“The politicians are defecting for their personal interest they are selfish people. It has practically nothing for the Nigerian electorates.
“The man feels his interest would not be protected in the party he is at the moment and he decides to move. All they are doing is trying to protect their own interests.
“There is no difference between PDP and APC. The only thing that joined them is just selfish interest and corruption and nothing more,” the lawyer said.
He said that section 68 of the Nigerian Constitution stipulated that a lawmaker can only defect to another party where there is division in a party or merger of two political parties.
Mr Ihehene insisted that what the lawmakers were playing out was selfishness, saying that “everybody is just thinking of what he can gain”.
