32 APC reps defect to PDP

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost 32 of its members in the house of representatives to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Four other APC members defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while a rep left the party without stating his new direction.

In all, the ruling party lost 37 members. This comes hours after 14 APC senators moved to the PDP.

In the defection letter read by Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house, the lawmakers cited factionalisation and division in the ruling party as reason for leaving.

Aminu Suleiman, an APC lawmaker from Kano state, raised a point of order to kick against the reasons the lawmakers gave for the defection.

He said contrary to what his colleagues said, there is no division within the ruling party.

He was, however, interrupted by PDP lawmakers who were shouting: “Buba Galadima”, leader of the Reformed-APC.

Galadima leads a breakaway faction of the APC.

The lawmakers insisted there was division in the party and that “it is too late” for the APC.

Thereafter, Dogara ruled that the defection stands “for the sake of fairness”.

He said precious decampees had cited similar reasons for leaving their party and that the question of verifying whether there is division in the party or not is a different issue.

This again, caused the PDP lawmakers to begin to chant the speaker’s name and started congratulating one another.

In annoyance, some APC lawmakers staged a walkout.