Lawmaker dumps APGA for APC

The rank of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives increased by one on Tuesday, as Herman Hembe announced his defection from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the APC.

Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu described the defection as illegal and asked the Speaker to declare the seat of the Benue lawmaker vacant.

In a letter to the Speaker, read on the floor of the House by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, Hembe said he joined the APC from his ward in August and had since been involved in the activities of the party.

He thanked the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni, former Benue State Governor Senator George Akume and former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara for making his defection possible.

Opposing the defection, Elumelu said: “By the grace of God, I am the Minority Leader of this House. I am not aware that there is a crisis in APGA and so, what he has done is illegal. The Speaker should declare his seat vacant. We are going to contest this.”

The deputy speaker, who presided over plenary, said the fact that Elumelu was not aware of any crisis in APGA was not enough to say that there was no crisis in the party.

He said the crisis in APGA in Anambra State is enormous and enough reason for anybody to defect.