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Politics of Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Source: punchng.com

PDP loses two Cross River Reps to APC

The photo used to illustrate the story The photo used to illustrate the story

Two members of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, dumped the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress.

They are the lawmakers representing Obanliku/Obudu/Bekwarra and Obubra/Etung Federal Constituencies, Ochiglegor Idagbo and Michael Etaba, respectively. The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, read their separate letters of defection during the day’s plenary.

The two lawmakers blamed their exit from the PDP on the crisis in the party. The defection of the lawmakers came barely one month after Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, dumped the PDP for the APC.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu, however, raised a point of constitutional order to state that the defections ran contrary to the provisions of Section 68 of the constitution, which requires a defector to vacate their seat when they fail to meet the set conditions.

Okechukwu dismissed their claims of a crisis within the PDP. He decried a situation where the House would continue to wilfully flout provisions of the law.

Gbajabiamila, however, said the fact that two members of the PDP left the party the same day is an indication of an existing crisis. The Speaker stated that it is only the court that can determine whether there is a crisis in a party or not.