A House of Representative member representing Jos South/East on Wednesday, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Hon. Edward Pwajok, 51, was elected into the House as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, who read the defection letter during plenary disclosed that Pwajok said he was leaving the PDP due to the crisis in the party.
Minority Leader of the House, Mr Leo Ogor (Delta-PDP), who reacted swiftly to the situation raised a point of order to fault Pwajok’s claim that the PDP was factionalised.
He asserted that Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff is the National Chairman of the PDP and thus urged urged Pwajok to vacate his seat.
“We are presently in court and you are aware that Sheriff is the chairman of the party. I find it totally unacceptable and we demand that Pwajok vacates his seat,” Ogor said.
But, welcoming Pwajok to APC, the Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos-APC), urged more PDP legislators to capitalise on the crisis within the party to cross over to the ruling party.
Plateau Governor, Mr Simon Lalong, who was at the chamber to witness the defection, later told newsmen that Pwajok’s defection would open the floodgate for other PDP legislators from the state to join APC.
Lalong said that some other PDP legislators in the state were ready to move to the APC.
Also speaking to newsmen, Pwajok said that he was ready for the PDP if the party approached the court over the matter.
He said, “Section 68 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution is clear that where there are divisions in a party, a member can defect to another party.”
