37 members of the House of Representatives who were formerly under the umbrella of the Peoples’ Democratic Party have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC)
The lawmakers said that they are joining the APC due to “division and factionalisation” within the ruling party.
Decampees also said that their defection to the APC is in obedience to section 68, subsection 1G of the constitution.
The Nigerian constitution stipulates that a lawmaker can only defect to another party without losing his seat if there is adequate proof that the political party he is moving from is in crisis that must have divided the party.
Lawyers have said that only in a law court would it be determined if the the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party was enough backing for such defection.
The defection from the PDP began after some aggrieved PDP governors decided to join the opposition, APC, in November.
List of members who decamped include:
Abdulahi Balarabe (Sokoto), Abudulmumin Jibrin (Kano), Ali Ahmad (PDP, Kwara), Abudulahi Wamako (Sokoto), Aliyu Pategi (Kwara), Ahmed Zerewa, Aishatu Ahmed (Adamawa), Aiyedun Olayinka (Kwara), Alhassan Garba (Kano), Aliyu Madaki (Kano), Aliyu Shehu (Sokoto) and Aminu Shagari (Sokoto).
Others include Aminu Suleiman (Kano), Aminu Tukur (Adamawa), Andrew Uchendu (Rivers), Asita Honourable (Rivers), Bashir Babale (Kano), Blessing Usiegbe (Rivers), Dakuku Peterside (Rivers), Dawari George (Rivers), Gibson Nathaniel (Adamawa), Gogo Bright Tamuno (Rivers), Isa Bashir (Sokoto), Kabiru Achida (Sokoto), and Maurice Pronen (Rivers).
Also in the group are Sabo Mohammed, Mpigi Barinada (Rivers), Mukhtari Muhammad, Musa Ado (Kano), Musa Sarkin-Adar (Sokoto), Mustapha Dawaki (Kano), Mustapha Mashood (Kwara), Ogbonna Nwuke (Rivers), Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara), Sa’ad Nabunkari (Sokoto), Sani Aliyu (Kano), Shuaibu Gobir (Sokoto), Sokonte Davies (Rivers), Umar Bature (Sokoto), Yusuph Dunari Sule (Jigawa), and Zakari Mohammed (Kwara).
