Isaac Samuel
The House of Representatives on Wednesday recorded fresh defections as four lawmakers joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) while another lawmaker moved to the Accord Party.
The defections were announced during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, who read the letters of the affected lawmakers on the floor of the chamber.
Those who defected to the APC include Garba Inuwa, representing Yamaltu/Deba Federal Constituency of Gombe State; Abdullahi El-Rasheed, representing Dukku/Nafada Federal Constituency of Gombe State; Mohammed Audu, representing Karim Lamido/Lau/Ardo-Kola Federal Constituency of Taraba State; and Joshua Obika, representing Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory.
While Inuwa, El-Rasheed and Audu defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obika announced his exit from the Labour Party (LP) to join the ruling party.
But Adewale Morufu Adebayo, representing Irepodun/Olorunda/Oshogbo/Orolu Federal Constituency of Osun State, defected from the PDP to the Accord Party.
In their separate letters, the lawmakers attributed their decisions to internal crises and leadership disputes within their former parties, which they said had weakened party structures and hindered their ability to deliver democratic dividends to their constituents.
Obika, in his letter, cited the emergence of multiple factions within the Labour Party as the reason for his defection.
In recent months, opposition parties have been battered by internal wrangling, leadership tussles, and protracted litigation, triggering defections to the APC in both chambers.
The exodus has handed the ruling party a comfortable two-thirds majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, a threshold that provides decisive leverage in constitutional amendments and other legislative business.
The APC now controls 245 seats in the 360-member House, leaving 115 with seven opposition parties.
