Two members of the House of Representatives from Imo State have defected from the Action Alliance (AA) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The two lawmakers are Obi Pascal, representing Ideato North/Ideato South, and Uju Kingsley, representing Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal constituencies of Imo State.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila read the letters announcing the lawmakers’ defection from their former party to the ruling APC during plenary yesterday.
However, the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, faulted the decision of the two lawmakers to decamp, saying he was not aware that there was division in their political party.
“Mr Speaker, by the grace of God and by the wishes of all the minority caucus members, I am still the Minority Leader. I am not aware that the national chairman of the AA ever wrote to me or even by publication to state the obvious that there is any division in that political party. Therefore I think that what is being done this morning is illegal, is not acceptable,” he said.
Responding, Gbajabiamila ruled him out of order and asked him whether he was a member of the AA.
“There is something in law called locus. My question to you is this, are you a member of AA? You are the Minority Leader, you are a member of PDP, as minority leader you are not automatically a member of AA. So you have no locus. If you go to court and I’m saying the matter can be interpreted in court, but unfortunately you cannot go to court because you are not aggrieved. You do not have locus standi,” he said.
