Garba Koko, the representative for the Koko-Besse/Maiyama Federal Constituency in Kebbi State, has officially left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). He cited a prolonged crisis within the PDP as his reason for this decision.
The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced Koko’s defection on Wednesday while reading a letter from the lawmaker on the floor of the lower legislative chamber.
In response, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda quickly disputed Koko’s claims, stating that there is no ongoing crisis within the PDP. “It is important to correct the erroneous impression. There is no protracted problem in the PDP,” Chinda asserted. He also pointed out that all political parties in Nigeria, including the APC and the Labour Party (LP), experience internal disputes, labeling Koko’s justification as unfounded.
Chinda urged the Speaker to declare Koko’s seat vacant in accordance with Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, which outlines the circumstances under which a lawmaker may lose their seat after defecting. “The House should adhere to the constitution by declaring the seat vacant. We must not continue to set a bad precedent,” Chinda said.
In response, Abbas ruled that only the court has the authority to declare a lawmaker’s seat vacant.
Koko’s defection follows that of Amos Magaji from Kaduna, who left the PDP for the APC just one day earlier. This trend of lawmakers switching party allegiance to the ruling party appears to be growing.
In recent months, several lawmakers have defected from the PDP and LP to the APC, including:
– October 2: Chris Nkwonta (Ukwa East/Ukwa West federal constituency, Abia) defected from the PDP to the APC.
– October 30: Sulaiman Abubakar (Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency, Zamfara) left the PDP for the APC.
– December 5: Four Labour Party lawmakers and one PDP legislator also joined the APC.
