A member of the House of Representatives, Garba Koko, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He cited a prolonged and protracted crisis within the PDP as his reason for leaving.
Naija News reports that the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced Koko’s defection on Wednesday, reading a letter from the lawmaker on the floor of the lower legislative chamber. Koko represents Besse/Maiyama Yema federal constituency of Kebbi State.
Minority Leader Counters Defection Claim
However, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda swiftly rejected Koko’s claim, insisting that there is no prolonged crisis within the PDP.
“It is important to correct the erroneous impression. There is no protracted problem in PDP,” Chinda stated.
He further argued that all political parties in Nigeria, including the APC and the Labour Party (LP), face internal wranglings, describing Koko’s justification as unfounded.
Chinda urged the Speaker to declare Koko’s seat vacant in line with Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, which outlines the conditions under which a lawmaker may lose their seat after defection.
“The House should implement the constitution by declaring the seat vacant. Let us not continue to set a bad precedent,” Chinda said.
In response, Abbas ruled that only the court has the power to declare a lawmaker’s seat vacant.
Defection Trend In The National Assembly
Koko’s defection comes just 24 hours after Amos Magaji from Kaduna also left the PDP for the APC. His move is part of a growing trend of lawmakers shifting their allegiance to the ruling party.
In recent months, several lawmakers have defected from the PDP and LP to the APC:
October 2: Chris Nkwonta (Ukwa East/Ukwa West federal constituency, Abia) left the PDP for the APC.
October 30: Sulaiman Abubakar (Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency, Zamfara) defected from the PDP to the APC.
December 5: Four Labour Party lawmakers and one PDP legislator also joined the APC.
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