Another member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Johnson Agbonayinma, has dumped the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
In a letter read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara at plenary on Thursday, Mr. Agbonayinma who was loyal to the ousted chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu-Sheriff, alleged that he had been sidelined in the party.
He said after Mr. Sheriff lost at the Supreme Court, his colleagues in the house and his former party “shut the door against him”.
Present in the chamber to receive him was the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shuaibu, who was once a member of the House of Representatives.
Reacting to his defection, the deputy minority leader, Chukwuma Onyema, expressed joy over the exit of Mr. Agbonayinma, describing it as a great relief.
“It’s like getting rid of a cancer” he said.
The PDP caucus did not urge Mr. Dogara to declare the seat vacant as with similar defections.
Premium Times had exclusively reported that three more members of the PDP were likely to ditch the party for the APC.
The three members include Nnanna Igbokwe who just defected on Tuesday, Mr. Agbonayinma who just defected, and Ben Nwankwo, who had already declared for the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in Anambra state.
PDP has lost six of its lawmakers to other political parties in 2017 alone.
The defection of Mr. Agbonayinma brings the number to seven.
The earlier defectors were Edward Pwajok (Plateau), Adamu Kamale (Adamawa), Hassan Sale (Benue), Zephaniah Jisalo (FCT), Yusuf Tijjani (Kogi), and Nnanna Igbokwe (Imo).
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