The Nigerian Legislative Arm of Government resumed plenary today, after the one month of Recess that allowed Legislators to prepare and participate in their respective Political Party Primaries.
At the House of Representatives (The Green Chamber) The Speaker, Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila, while welcoming back his colleagues in his opening remarks, lamented on the inability of 178 Members of the House, to secure the tickets of their various Political Parties for their reelection.
The Speaker attributed the lost by quite a large number of members to the process of primaries used. According to him, Direct Primaries which the House fought for, would have given a fairer level playing to see to the emergence of many of the members of the House, as against the Delegate System.
The House had voted to make Direct primaries compulsory in the Electoral Act, but Mr. President has not accented his signature to make it law.
In the Senate, the return to plenary saw the Drama of Defections at play on the floor of the Senate.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, read out the letter of the Minority Leader, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe, announcing his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
He hinged his defection on the crisis in his State chapter of the PDP. Recalled that, Abaribe had lost out in the politicking for the Gubernatorial Primaries in Abia State.
A couple of PDP Lawmakers, like Senator George Sekibo from Rivers, protested the defection as they opined that, Senator Abaribe did not deliberate with his colleagues in the PDP Caucus before defecting.
They were over-ruled by the Senate President, paving way for Senator Abaribe to change his seat on the floor of the Senate.
Also, the Senate Majority Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi and Senator Adamu Aliero, both representing Kebbi State did announce their defection from the ruling APC to the PDP.
The Senate President read both letters on the floor. In it, they explained that their decision to defect to the PDP was prompted by the lack of internal democracy in Kebbi State APC.
Senator Aliero speaking with the media said that, the APC in Kebbi state is bedeviled by high-handedness, unfairness, and mediocrity displayed by the State Governor sidelining stakeholders of the party.
