(House of Representative. Photo by Daily Trust)
Thirteen members of the House of Representatives formally changed their political party affiliations on Tuesday, with the announcements made at the resumption of plenary session following the Sallah holiday break.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen presided over the session and read out the 13 letters of defection submitted by the affected lawmakers.
The most notable bloc defection involved six members of the Oyo State caucus in the House, all of whom moved to the Action Peoples Movement (APM).
The defecting lawmakers Anthony Adebayo, Adedeji Olajide, Sunday Makanjuola, Oyedeji Oyeshina, Fola Oyekunle, and Adigun Adekunle cited prolonged internal crises and leadership disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as their reason for seeking a new political home ahead of the 2027 elections.
With their departure, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has now taken six of the state’s 14 federal lawmakers with him to the APM.
The PDP experienced a mixed day, recording both losses and gains on the floor of the House. On the loss side, Bauchi lawmaker Auwalu Gwalabe also left the PDP for the APM.
However, the party welcomed new members, including Shehu Dalhatu, who represents the Faskari/Kankara/Sabuwa Federal Constituency in Katsina State.
Dalhatu left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the PDP, stating that he acted after consulting with his constituents and reflecting on developments within the APC.
The PDP also gained Delta State lawmaker Etanabene Benedict, who left the Labour Party (LP) citing internal crisis within the party in the South-South zone, as well as Alex Egbona, who crossed from the APC to the PDP while pledging continued dedication to his constituents and legislative duties.
In another notable switch, Edo State lawmaker Esosa Iyawe who has now changed parties three times in three years left the APC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), blaming irreconcilable differences with the Edo State chapter of the APC for his decision.
Rounding out the defections, Nasarawa State’s Gbefwi Gaza announced his move from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the Labour Party.