what could be described as defection galore, the federal and state lawmakers took turns Tuesday to dump their original political parties which offered them the platforms for election, for others, citing unresolved internal party crisis and parallel leadership as their major reasons.

Prominent among the defectors are Speaker Delta State House of Assembly Dennis Guwor leading 21 other members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) into the All Progressives Congress (APC) fold.

Also in Edo state, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, four lawmakers and 17 acting council chairmen, similarly dumped the embattled PDP for the APC. 

It was the same story in the House of Representatives where some lawmakers variously took a jump into other political parties, on account of internal party crisis.

*Delta

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defection of the 22 lawmakers was sequel to the significant shift in the state’s political landscape, which now makes it a one-party legislature, as the remaining seven members are from the APC.

Announcing his defection at the resumption of plenary, Speaker Guwor noted that the decision was the result of extensive consultations with their constituents and political leaders across the state.

The move, he said, aligned with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

According to him, the political shift toward APC was in response to the realignment of stakeholders and the desire to align with the federal government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership.

“The mass defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, to the APC, was made in the overall interest of the people of the state,” he said.

“We are fully committed to partnering with the federal government to deliver greater development to the people of Delta.

“On behalf of the house, I commend the courage and visionary leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in making this strategic and timely decision.

“As a legislative body, we stand with His Excellency in this endeavour.

This renewed partnership between the state and the federal government must be supported and allowed to flourish so that we can begin to enjoy its benefits in the shortest possible time,” he stated.

Guwor also announced that he had received 22 letters, including his own, notifying him of the change of party affiliation from PDP to APC.

He said the defection was driven by instability within the PDP national leadership and divisions within the South-South Zonal Executive Committee, leading to internal conflicts and disunity.

“With this action, the Delta House of Assembly is now composed entirely of members from the All Progressives Congress. We thank our constituents for endorsing this progressive course of action,” he said.

The speaker, who appreciated members for their contributions so far, urged them to ensure the completion of all pending bills as the second legislative session nears its end.

After the development, the Majority Leader, Mr Emeka Nwaobi, moved a motion for the adoption of the letters of change in the political party.

The motion, which was unanimously adopted by the assembly when put to a voice vote by the speaker, was seconded by Mr Ferguson Onwo (APC-Isoko South II).

Addressing newsmen shortly after the plenary, the majority leader said the defection was prompted by the crisis within PDP.

“Our decision was based on the instability at the national level and the factionalisation at the South-South level.

”Consequently, we chose to move to the ruling All Progressives Congress, in accordance with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended,” he said.

*Edo

And in Edo state, the four lawmakers who defected alongside the speaker to the APC were   Sunny Ifada, Hon. Yekini Idiaye,  Hon. Roland Asoro, Hon. Nosa Nosayaba.

Following the new entrant, the APC which started the eighth Edo assembly with eight members, now holds 18 out of 24 seats. 

Speaker Blessing Agbebaku said the move was aimed at aligning with Governor Monday Okpebholo to fast-track development across the state.

He commended the governor  for his developmental focus, citing the example of construction of Uhonmora Secondary School and three major roads in is constituent, Owan West local government area.

The APC national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, noted that the wave of defections signifies a shift in political tides and reflects growing confidence in the APC-led administration.

Ganduje, who was represented at the event by the party’s national secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, assured the defectors of equal opportunities.

*Reps 

At the lower chamber of the National Assembly, six members from Delta state announced their defection from the PDP to the ruling APC.

Similarly, the two members from Enugu state also defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the PDP.

The defections were announced by the Speaker of the House, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, through separate letters by the lawmakers.

The six defectors from Delta state included Victor Nwokolo, Julius Pondi, Thomas Ereyitomi, Nicholas Mutual, Ukodhiko Jonathan, and Nnamdi Ezechi, while those from Enugu state are Mark Obetta and Denis Nnamdi.

 Tinubu meets Oborevwori  

In the midst of the defection drama, President Tinubu, Tuesday,  had a closed-door meeting with Delta state Governor Sheriff Oborevwori at the State House Abuja.

The meeting was the first official engagement with the President since the governor’s defection to the president’s party.

The governor, it would be recalled, defected to the APC alongside his predecessor and former PDP vice presidential candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who both led their horde of supporters into the ruling party. (By BluePrint with additional report from NAN)