The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday inaugurated the new member representing Aba-North/South Federal Constituency in Abia State, Mr Chimaobi Ebisike.
Ebisike of the Peoples Democratic Party replaced Ossy Prestige, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who died in Germany on February 8, 2021.
After the inauguration, Gbajabiamila said he expected the new member in the All Progressives Congress, which is the ruling party and has majority in the chamber.
“Congratulations once again. As it has been the practice and the trend in the last few weeks, we will be expecting your letter of defection to the APC very soon,” he said.
Responding to the noise generated by his comment from a section of the chamber, the Speaker said, “I am only going by the trend in the last few weeks. That is all.”
Twelve defections have so far been recorded between October 2020 and February 2021, all to the APC.
On March 17, 2021, Aremu Jimoh Olaifa from Ogun State defected from the African Democratic Congress to the APC.
Earlier on February 23, 2021, a member from Ondo State, Peter Makinde, defected from the ADC to the APC.
A week earlier, Shehu Abdullahi from Bauchi State had defected from the Peoples Redemption Party to the APC.
Blessing Onuh, daughter of a former President of the Senate, David Mark, from Benue State had also dumped the All Progressives Grand Alliance for the APC.
Samuel Onuigbo from Abia State had in December 17, 2020, declared his defection from the PDP to the APC.
The previous day, Tajudeen Adefiyose, from Ondo State, defected from the SDP to the APC.
A day before Adefisoye’s declaration, Aliyu Datti Yako from Kano State defected from the PDP to the APC, while Shiddi Danjuma from Taraba State defected from APGA to the APC.
A member from Benue State, Herman Hembe, had the previous week defected from APGA to the APC. Hembe was in the PDP before joining APGA.
Three members of the House had earlier in October 2020 switched parties.
They were Kolawole Lawal from Ogun State who returned to the APC from the Allied Peoples Movement; Ephraim Nwuzi from Rivers State and David Abel from Taraba State who defected from the PDP to the APC.
