There was a 20minute rowdy session on Wednesday on the floor of the House of the Representatives as two members defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The two lawmakers, Ahmed Tijani of Kogi state and Zaphaniah Jisalo of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had their defection letters read by the presiding officer, Yakubu Dogara. T

rouble however started when the acting leader of the opposition, Rep Yakubu Barde stood up to challenge the defection of his party members

Dogara while reading the letters of defection noted that internal crisis in the state chapters of the PDP was cited by the defecting lawmakers as reasons for their decision to defect.

Barde who cited provisions of the constitution to buttress his point argued that the actions of the lawmakers were in contravention of law since the PDP is no longer in crisis.

This argument was supported by Rep Ossai Nichola Ossai (PDP, Delta) who noted that the House is an institution which members swore an oath to defend the constitution, and as such should not condone what is happening.

The opposing lawmakers therefore demanded that the Speaker declared their seats vacant as a matter of moral and legal obligation on his part.

Dogara in response argued that division in a political party was not expressly defined in the constitution, adding that it’s a matter of fact as the law did not specify whether a lawmaker can decamp based on party crisis at the national or state level.

Vanguard