Primaries Fallout: Defections, Minority Leadership Fight Rocks Reps As APC Hopefuls Await Fate

The aftermath of the primaries, especially that of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has triggered another wave of defections in the House of Representatives.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that no fewer than 54 serving members of the National Assembly lost their tickets seeking re-election during the APC primaries.

Consequently, 17 members of the House of Representatives resigned from their current political parties. They joined new ones when the House resumed plenary after about one month’s recess in the wake of the primaries.

They include the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who formally resigned from his position and dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.

Chinda, who represents the Obio/Akpor federal constituency of Rivers State, has emerged as the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 general election.

Other defectors are Hons Alex Egbona (Cross River), who defected from APC to PDP, Esosa Iyawe (Edo), who joined Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after losing the party primary for the House of Representatives seat on the platform of the APC and Jonathan Gaza Gbewfi, who left the Social Democratic Party for the Labour Party.

Others are Hon. Sani Lawal (Katsina), who resigned from the APC but did not announce his next political move, and Hon. Shehu Dalhat Tafoki (Katsina), who left the APC to join the PDP.

On the other hand, PDP lawmakers – Hons Adebayo Adepoju (Oyo), Stanley Olajide (Oyo), Ojo Sunday Makanjuola (Oyo), Najeem Oyedeji (Oyo), Folajimi Oyekunle (Oyo), Abbas Adigun (Oyo) and Auwalu Gwalabe (Bauchi) joined the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). At the same time, Benedict Etenabene left the Labour Party (LP) for the PDP.

Others are Hon. Abubakar Baba Zango, who represents Yola North/Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency of Adamawa State, member representing Jama’are / Itas-Gadau Federal Constituency of Zamfara state, Hon. Rabilu Bala and lawmaker for Dukku/Nafada Federal Constituency of Gombe state, Hon. Abdullahi El- Rasheed.

While Zango and El- Rasheed defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bala joined the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), citing political considerations and approval of their constituents following the outcome of the APC primaries.

Though some of the lawmaker, in their resignation letters read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, cited irreconcilable differences, crisis, and undemocratic tendencies as their reasons for changing parties, the development is not unconnected with the fallout in their resignation letters read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen cited irreconcilable differences, crisis and undemocratic tendencies as their reasons for changing parties, the development is not unconnected with the fallout of the primary election.

In a related development, the battle to determine who will emerge as the next minority leader following Chinda’s resignation has begun in earnest amid controversy.

No fewer than 61 out of the 81 opposition lawmakers have reportedly thrown their weight behind Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere (APP, Imo) for the office of Minority Leader of the House.

Documents sighted by our reporter showed that the majority of lawmakers from minority parties settled on Ugochinyere as their preferred choice.

However, there are indications that Hon. Fred Agbedi, a PDP lawmaker from Bayelsa state and chairman of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in the Green Chamber, and Hon. Afam Ogene are also jostling for the minority leader of the House.

Meanwhile, the House was on Thursday thrown into a rowdy session as the Deputy Spokesperson, Hon. Philip Agbese(LP, Benue), alleged that his signature was forged on the circulated list of opposition members who have endorsed Hon. Ugochinyere as Minority Leader.

Coming under a motion of person privilege on the floor of the House, Agbese denied ever endorsing Ugochinyere, saying the publication in the newspaper, vis-à-vis his signature, infringes his privilege as a member of the minority caucus.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Abb, said the motion was noted and that the House would take action in due course, said the motion was noted and that the House would take action in due course, said the motion was noted and that the House would take action in due course.

The G-60, a group of lawmakers pushing for Ugochinyere’s emergence, later issued a joint statement signed by Hon. Mukhtar Umar and Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, stating that, statement jointly signed by Hon. Mukhtar Umar and Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, stating that contrary to claims made by Agbese, all signatures appended to the nomination document were voluntarily provided by the lawmakers concerned.

However, the Benue lawmaker insisted that he signed a document with Ugochinyere for a specific purpose, not endorsing him for the position of House minority leader.

Agbese, in a statement on Friday, maintained that the use of his signature for purposes other than what was expressly agreed upon constitutes forgery.

On the other hand, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) has yet to ratify the primaries held across the country, except for the presidential nomination. In contrast,  the national leadership of other parties has approved the process.

Accordingly, APC disowned what it described as the purported “Concluded List of APC Senatorial Candidates So Far” currently circulating on social media and some online platforms.

APC, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, said the list is fake, and did not emanate from the party, reiterating that only the NWC of the party is empowered to announce the “list of candidates emerging from its primary elections and other constitutionally prescribed processes.”

But the NDC at its second National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting ratified the outcome of its nationwide primaries and agreed on the next steps toward building a stronger national political platform.

Also, the NWC of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has concluded the review of the report of the primaries appeal committee and approved it.

It therefore affirmed that the former governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke, is validly elected as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.

National Publicity Secretary of PRP, Muhammed Ishaq, in a statement, said the primaries appeal committee also upheld other primary election outcomes and duly cleared the candidates to contest in the upcoming elections.

This is just as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warned political parties that any primary election conducted outside the commission’s 30 May deadline remains invalid, unless a higher court overturns an earlier Federal High Court judgment on the matter.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, was quoted as saying in a media chat.