Abuja – No fewer than 36 members of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Thirty-two of the number moved to the PDP and four to ADC.
Another member, Mr Emmanuel Orker-Jev from Benue, renounced his membership of the APC but did not disclose the political platform he was identifying with.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four members of the party who crossed to ADC were all from Oyo state.
The drama started at about 1.25 p.m. when the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, announced that some members had written to him indicating that they had defected from the APC.
They cited the break-up of the ruling party into factions as one of the reasons for dumping it.
The members from Oyo state, who defected to ADC are Sunday Adepoju, Olugbemi Samson, Taiwo Michael and Olasupo Abiodun.
Those who moved to PDP are Garba Umar (Kano), Olayonu Tope (Kwara), Ahmed Garba (Kano), Kabiru Marafa (Sokoto), Zakari Mohammed (Kwara) and Abubakar Amuda-Kanike (Kwara).
Others are Ali Madaki (Kano), Hassan Saleh (Benue), Ahma Pategi (Kwara), Mark Gbillah (Benue), Shehu Usman (Kano), Aminu Shagari (Sokoto), Nuhu Danburam (Kano) and Atunwa Abdulrazak (Kwara).
Also on the list are Salisu Zakari (Bauchi), Hassan Omale (Kogi), Rufai Chanchangi (Kaduna), Abdulsamad Dasuki (Sokoto), Sani Zoro (Jigawa), Benjamin Okolo (Kogi), Sani Rano (Kano), Dickson Tarkighir (Benue) and Funke Adedoyi (Kwara).
The defected members to PDP also include Bode Ayorinde (Ondo), Bashiru Salihu (Sokoto), Barry Mpigi (Rivers), Nasiru Sule (Kano), Segun Ogunwuyi (Oyo), Lawal Rabiu (Kaduna), Musa Adotsamiya (Kano) and Emmanuel Udende (Benue).
After the announcement, shouts of ”PDP! Power!” rented the air while APC members screamed ”APC! Sai Baba!”
Members of the APC led by Leader of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, objected to the defection, but the speaker overruled them.
At the Senate, 15 members of the APC also defected to the PDP, consequently making the latter the party with the majority of members in the chamber.
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