A mild drama ensued on the floor of the House of Representatives, Wednesday, as Speaker Femi Gbjabiamila announced the defection of two members from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The speaker had read two separate letters from Hon. Ephraim Nwuzi (Rivers), and Hon. David Abel (Taraba), notifying him and the House of their respective decision to leave their former political parties for the APC.
Gbjabiamila had hardly completed the process of the announcement, when Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, raised a point of order, drawing the speaker’s attention to the constitutional provision that where members defect outside the laid down procedures, they automatically lose their seats.
“We have to respect our laws and the constitution, so ask the members to abide by the rules”, he said.
His position was supported by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, who argued that there was no division in the PDP as prescribed under section eight of the 1999 Constitution, and therefore described the announced defections as “illegal”, urging the speaker to declare their seats vacant.
Speaking in a similar vein, leader of the PDP Caucus in the House, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, told Gbajabiamila that the action of the two lawmakers have provided the speaker with an opportunity to uphold the constitution, which he had sworn to protect.
Citing judicial pronouncements by the Supreme Court over similar developments in the past, Chinda said “this is an opportunity to do the right thing by declaring their seats vacant. Failure to do so may either be interpreted as cowardice, or a choice not to uphold the law”.
Ruling however, Gbajabiamila said, “Most of you who spoke were all here when I was the minority leader. I also said all these things when members defected to your party (PDP), but you shouted me down and asked me to go to court, so your argument; I think it’s a height of hypocrisy. As you told me those days, your points are noted”, and hit the gavel to the applause of his APC colleagues.
