The gale of defections in the country continued on Tuesday at the House of Representatives as the All Progressives Congress (APC) gained two more members as Aliyu Datti Yakwo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, Kano) and Danjuma Usman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA, Taraba) crossed carpet to the ruling party.
Their letters of defection were read on the floor of the House during plenary by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
But the leadership of the minority parties protested the defection, saying it was illegal.
Aliyu, who defeated Abdulmuminu Jibril of the APC in a rerun poll in 2019, said he was leaving the PDP because of existing crisis in the party, which has generated divisions among its members in the state.
Danjuma also said the APGA was saddled with internal crisis that has made it impossible for him to actualise his political aspirations.
But House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu drew the attention of the lawmakers to the provisions of Section 68 (1a) of the Constitution, which stipulates that any member who leaves the party on whose platform he was elected should lose his seat.
He said from his discussion with the leadership of the PDP in Kano State, there was no evidence of any crisis within the party.
The minority leader urged the Speaker to declare the seat of the two lawmakers vacant.
Elumelu said: “APC members are laughing now and enjoying themselves as members fragrantly decamp from the parties that brought them to this chamber. What they have done is illegal and we must not allow this to continue.”
Deputy Minority Leader Toby Okechukwu informed the House that there was an existing Supreme Court verdict which says the crisis in political parties envisioned by the Constitution is the crisis at the national level.
“We might deliberately continue to breach the law by allowing people to defect from the political parties that brought them to this parliament,” he said.
Replying Elumelu, the Speaker jocularly said: “Something tells me that you will soon join the APC.”
But Elumelu quickly quipped: “I have a dream that you will soon join the PDP.”
