PDP celebrates as 15 APC senators, 37 Reps defect

Members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives celebrated on Tuesday as news of the defection of 15 senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to PDP was announced.
Earlier, the PDP lawmakers, who converged on the lobby of the National Assembly, vowed not to allow a leadership change in the Senate.
Some of them even threatened to break into the Senate Chamber to forcefully stall any attempt to change the leadership of the Red Chamber.
However, as soon as news filtered from the Senate about the defection of 15 senators into the opposition party, the PDP Reps broke into dance, singing “ooo my home, oooo my home, when shall I see my home.”
They also chanted “Dogara Dogara Dogara” to welcome the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 36 APC members in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, defected to the PDP and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Thirty-two of the number moved to the PDP and four to ADC.
Another member, Mr Emmanuel Orker-Jev from Benue State, renounced his membership of the APC but did not disclose the political platform he was identifying with.
The four members of the party who crossed to ADC are from Oyo State.
The drama started about 1.25 p.m. when the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, announced that some members had written to him, indicating that they had defected from the APC.
They cited the break-up of the ruling party into factions as one of the reasons for dumping it.
The members from Oyo State, who defected to ADC are Sunday Adepoju, Olugbemi Samson, Taiwo Michael and Olasupo Abiodun.
Those who moved to PDP are Garba Umar (Kano), Olayonu Tope (Kwara), Ahmed Garba (Kano), Kabiru Marafa (Sokoto), Zakari Mohammed (Kwara) and Abubakar Amuda-Kanike (Kwara).
Others are Ali Madaki (Kano), Hassan Saleh (Benue), Ahma Pategi (Kwara), Mark Gbillah (Benue), Shehu Usman (Kano), Aminu Shagari (Sokoto), Nuhu Danburam (Kano) and Atunwa Abdulrazak (Kwara).
Also on the list are Salisu Zakari (Bauchi), Hassan Omale (Kogi), Rufai Chanchangi (Kaduna), Abdulsamad Dasuki (Sokoto), Sani Zoro (Jigawa), Benjamin Okolo (Kogi), Sani Rano (Kano), Dickson Tarkighir (Benue) and Funke Adedoyi (Kwara).
The defected members to PDP also include Bode Ayorinde (Ondo), Bashiru Salihu (Sokoto), Barry Mpigi (Rivers), Nasiru Sule (Kano), Segun Ogunwuyi (Oyo), Lawal Rabiu (Kaduna), Musa Adotsamiya (Kano) and Emmanuel Udende (Benue).
After the announcement, shouts of ”PDP! Power!” rented the air while APC members screamed ”APC! Sai Baba!”
Members of the APC led by Leader of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, objected to the defection, but the speaker overruled them.