Breaking: Reps Deputy Spokesperson Agbese Dumps APC, Gives Reason
- Philip Agbese, representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue state, has resigned from the APC and joined the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 elections
- Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in his remark, said it was an unprecedented defection in the 10th National Assembly
- The Benue lawmaker's defection was one of the latest in the Nigerian political landscape, where 27 lawmakers changed parties in a single day
Philip Agbese, the deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, has resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and defected to the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmaker, who is representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue state, announced his official defection on the floor of the House during the plenary on Tuesday, March 31.
Source: Facebook
While reading the defection letter, the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, said that the decision of the Benue state politician to dump the party was a result of the lingering internal crisis rocking the APC in the north-central state. This was disclosed in a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday.
However, Agbese reaffirmed his commitment to the mandate of President Bola Tinubu and the Renewed Hope agenda. He also assured that his federal constituency "remains fully aligned with this vision, and I will continue to lend my unwavering support".
Reacting to the defection, the Speaker of the House underscored the political relevance of the move, stating that no member of the House of Representatives has dumped the APC since the beginning of the 10th National Assembly.
Nigerians react as Agbese dumps ADC
Agbese is one of the 27 federal lawmakers who dumped their parties for another on the floor of the Green Chamber on Tuesday, a development that has got Nigerians talking. Below are some of their reactions:
Onosolueze described the Nigerian political scene as a transfer market, where politicians jump parties:
"Nigerian politics is truly a transfer market. 27 members changing jerseys in one day! It’s clear everyone is repositioning for 2027 already. Interesting to see the ADC and APP picking up key members too."
Omar Zarma analysed the defection of the lawmakers:
"Some are decamping because they are scared of losing their seat, while some are with the masses, but we shall see how it goes."
Source: Twitter
Ọlánrèwájú Ìdòwú commended the political shift ahead of the 2027 elections:
"I'm glad that you shared this with us; if not, it's the people who decamped to the APC that we would have been hearing about."
Alade maintained that the APC is recording more gains:
"APC is getting stronger every day. People would have thought that ADC would gain more from the deflection."
Mayor of Middlebelt believed the APC is losing Gombe state:
"Gombe for sure will vote ADC. GOJE is the driving force for Gombe. Tinubu is losing Gombe already. Kano is gone, Benue South is gone. Help me update with confidence."
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Bala is set to defect to ADC
Legit.ng earlier reported that Bauchi governor Bala Mohammed has said he might be joining the coalition adopted party, ADC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governor disclosed the plan while hosting the leadership of the ADC at the presidential lounge in Bauchi on Tuesday, March 31.
According to the governor, the ADC has the potential to sack President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 general elections.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
