Three members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing internal leadership crises within their former party.
The lawmakers, Taofeek Ajilesoro (Ife Central/Ife East/Ife North), Emmanuel Olusanya (Atakunmosa West/Atakunmosa East/Ilesha East)—both from Osun State—and Marcus Onobun (Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben) from Edo State, announced their defection during Wednesday’s plenary session.
In their separate statements, the defectors pointed to ongoing internal conflicts within the PDP and said they were aligning with the APC to better serve their constituents and support President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to deliver democratic dividends.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, formally welcomed the defecting lawmakers to the APC, while several APC members offered congratulations and pledged their support.
However, the announcement drew a reaction from the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, who raised a constitutional point of order. Citing Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, Chinda urged the Speaker to act on the provision, which addresses the legality of defections by elected lawmakers.
“This may sound repetitive, but it is important that it’s stated for the record,” Chinda said. “Mr. Speaker, kindly invoke Section 68(1)(g) and uphold the Constitution.”
In response, Speaker Abbas briefly noted, “Minority Leader, your point of order is noted.”
The development marks yet another round of high-profile defections as political alignments shift ahead of the 2027 general elections.
