Rep. Amos Magaji (Jaba/Zango Kataf Federal Constituency, Kaduna) of the Federal House of Representatives, has defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) swelling the number of defectors.
The Kaduna State-born politician premised his defection on the crisis rocking the major opposition party in the country.
Persecondnews reports that Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, who presided over the plenary session on Tuesday, read Magaji’s letter of defection on the floor of the house.
Magaji said: “The unresolved crises in the PDP from the national to the state level has made it difficult for me to remain in the party.”
As the ruling party members welcomed Mogaji into their fold, the minority bench headed by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, challenged the defection, citing a constitutional point of order.
Citing Section 68 (1g) of the Constitution, Chinda said lawmakers who defect from the party on which they were elected are, in essence, lawbreakers, and will face the consequences, including losing their seats, as stipulated by law.
Members of the ruling party expressed their disapproval with loud boos, rejecting the order.
However, the Speaker ruled that the defector had complied with the law, citing division within the PDP as the reason for his exit.
Magaji has become the third PDP member to defect to the APC since the 10th Assembly’s inauguration.
Persecondnews recalls that Rep. Chris Nkwonta, representing Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency, defected from the PDP to the APC on October 2, 2024, citing a faction within his party as the reason for his departure.
Also, Rep. Eriatheke Ibori-Suenu, representing Ethiope federal constituency, on Thursday, December 5, 2024, announced her defection from PDP to APC in a letter addressed to the Speaker and read on the floor of the House.
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