Another PDP Senator Defects to APC

• PDP senators vow to retrieve mandate •APC senators call for Ekweremadu’s defection

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
Another Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator, Nelson Effiong (Akwa Ibom South), yesterday defected to All Progressives Congress (APC), citing division in the party which he said had led to the party’s disintegration.

He said in view of the “disintegration of the party,” every right thinking politician would seek a new direction for his political career.
But the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, described Effiong’s comments as an insult.

According to him, Effiong should have announced his defection and await the consequences of his action instead of proceeding to pass insults on other members of the PDP as he insisted that there was no division in PDP.

The Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said upon getting wind of Effiong’s defection plan, the senator was engaged in a discussion and warned of the consequences of defecting to another party. He disclosed that having dared the consequences, Akwa Ibom State chapter of PDP was currently on its way to court to retrieve PDP seat from him.

According to Akpabio, the Supreme Court had long established that it is not individuals who contest elections in Nigeria but political parties. He added that while the party was not bothered by Effiong’s defection, it would not condone his exit with PDP mandate.

Section 68 (1g) of the 1999 Constitution provides that a senator or a member of the House of Representatives who defects from the party which sponsored his election to a legislative house to another party shall vacate his seat unless his defection was predicated on a division in the party.

The defection of Effiong yesterday marked the second time a PDP senator would dump the opposition party for the ruling APC within two months. Senator Yele Omogunwa (Ondo South) had on November 30, 2016, defected from PDP to APC, a move which resulted in PDP senators calling on Saraki to declare his seat vacant and in protest of Saraki’s refusal to accede to their request, the senators staged a walk-out from the day’s plenary.

Meanwhile, some APC senators yesterday at the plenary, called for the defection of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to APC.
Moving a motion for the adoption of votes and proceedings of January 10, Senator Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central) said the time was ripe for Ekweremadu’s defection to the ruling party.

Supporting the motion, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), also emphasised the need for Ekweremadu to defect to APC.
But in a swift reaction, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji (Ebonyi South), described the calls as an expensive joke that was uncalled for, adding that Ekweremadu was yet valuable for PDP.

In his ruling, Ekweremadu who presided  over the plenary, only called for votes on adoption of proceedings and told those calling for his defection to ensure that their defection calls “be duly removed.”