Defection: Real Reasons Lawmakers Are Leaving Their Parties for Another Revealed
- Reasons some lawmakers lost their bid to return to the National Assembly have been traced to their inability to be their state governors' preferences
- reports have shown that the defection is not only rocking the ruling APC but also in the leading opposition PDP
- In states like Benue, Kebbi, Zamfara, Delta, Ekiti and Ogun state, governors or their loyalists defeated incumbent senators and reps members to clinch their parties' tickets
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
Some national assembly members who failed to win their parties’ tickets for the 2023 elections lost because they are not the choice of their state governors.
According to The Punch, findings showed that in states like Benue, Kebbi, Zamfara, Delta, Ekiti and Ogun, governors or their loyalists defeated incumbent senators and the house of representatives members to clinch their parties' tickets in the last primaries.
Source: Facebook
Many of these lawmakers have defected to other parties where they could contest against the governors or their aides, who won the parties’ primaries.
Those who are not contesting are said to be determined to work against the election of those who denied them tickets.
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
No less than 13 senators have left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties.
In Zamfara state, an APC member of the House of Representatives, Kabiru Ahmed, representing the Gusau/Tsafe constituency, lost the ticket to Sanusi Garba Rikiji, who is a former chief of staff to the speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Sources revealed that Rikiji is close to the state governor, Bello Mattawale. Ahmed defected to the PDP and will be re-contesting in 2023.
“I was cheated by the APC leadership, as such, I decided to change the party and joined the PDP and I thank God that I got the ticket to contest for the same position,” Ahmed said in an interview.
PDP rep members that lost their return tickets in Delta state
As this is going on APC, so it is in some PDP states. In Delta state, for instance, a PDP house of representatives members, Nicholas Ossai, Ben Igbakpa and Efe failed to secure return tickets to contest the 2023 elections.
A third-term member representing Ndokwa/Ukwuani constituency, Ossai, was defeated by an aide to governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Nnamdi Ezechi.
Also, Igbakpa was defeated by Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, who is the daughter of the former governor, James Ibori.
Afe of the Uvwie/Okpe constituency lost to the immediate past commissioner for water resources, Evelyn Obiri.
Speaking to journalists, Ezechi said he would work hard to win the general election.
Ahmad Lawan defects from APC to PDP? Truth emerges
Legit.ng reports that the media aide to Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Ola Awoniyi, has reacted to a claim that his principal is now a member of the PDP.
Awoniyi told journalists that the report is false and was fabricated with the intention of misleading Nigerians.
Awoniyi added that the rumour is a doctored video of Lawan reading the defection letter of a Kebbi senator, Adamu Aliero, who has joined the PDP from the APC.
2023 presidency: PDP finally opens up on Jonathan's rumoured defection
At the moment, the PDP's position is that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is yet to defect from the party.
The PDP's national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, made this known in a chat with journalists on Friday, May 13.
Ologunagba said Nigerians will be informed duly if things change concerning the members of Jonathan in the PDP.
Source: Legit.ng
