Kwara speaker, 19 lawmakers defect to APC

The Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Mr. Razak Atunwa, and 19 other members of the House on Wednesday formally defected to the All Progressives Congress.

Atunwa, his deputy, Prof. Mohammed Yisa, four other principal officers and 14 other defected members were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The House is made up of 24 members. Two members, Hassan Oyeleke and Tope Olayomi, were elected on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria which later merged with other parties to become the APC. One member, who had been suspended by the House, Mr. Iliasu Ibrahim, had publicly declared his intention to remain a PDP member while another member, Mr. Abdulfatai Salman, is expected to announce his position soon.

With the defection, APC is now in the majority with 22 members; while PDP is in the minority.

Atunwa, who presided over the session, said the defectors’ action was pursuant to Rule 29b of the Rules of the Kwara State House of Assembly.

He said that they defected because of the crisis in the PDP. Atunwa added that the 20 defected lawmakers belonged to the ‘New PDP’ faction.

The Speaker said he was proud of those that defected because of the stand they had taken “against the descent of the country into the abyss.”

He said that their position would be recorded in history as being pivotal to saving Nigeria from the precipice.

Atunwa said, “The decision to leave the PDP was not made without thorough evaluation and extensive consultations. However, it was abundantly clear that the PDP was fast becoming a sinking ship inhabited by self-serving egomaniacs.

“The party was being run in an entirely dictatorial manner.”