Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday – today, February 5 – engaged in a heated exchange over the defection of Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North) from the PDP to the APC.
In his letter of resignation from the PDP to the APC, which was read on the floor of the Senate by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, Nwoko cited division and crisis in the PDP as the reason for his decamping to the ruling party.
But reacting to his announcement, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), raised a constitutional point of order, arguing that though Nwoko was well within his rights to leave and join any party as he pleases, his defection was unconstitutional since the PDP was not in crisis.
Challenging the validity of Nwoko’s move, he insisted that the PDP remains intact and that the law only permits defection if there is a division within a party.
He added that Nwoko’s seat should be declared vacant.
In response to his statement, the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), stressed that the Constitution allows any person to decamp provided that there is a division in the party, adding that everybody in the country knows that there is a division in the PDP.
“You have the Wike faction and the Governor Bala Mohammed faction,” he said.
But Moro stood his ground, insisting that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is intact.
At that point, Akpabio asked him who the substantive national secretary of the PDP is, to which he replied, “The PDP is a law-abiding organisation. The Court of Appeal made a pronouncement on the secretaryship of the party, and the party is adhering to that ruling until the Supreme Court decides otherwise.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio interjected, pressing Moro on the Supreme Court’s position.
“What does the Supreme Court say?” Akpabio asked.
Moro maintained his stance, responding, “The Court of Appeal has ruled that Senator Anyanwu is the secretary of the party until the Supreme Court decides otherwise. And as a law-abiding organisation, we abide by the rulings of the court.”
In response to that, Akpabio asked, “Do your PDP governors recognise Anyanwu as the Secretary?”
Mocking him, he said, “Minority leader, we have a motion to set up an ad-hoc committee to look into your party affairs but I don’t want to do that.”
However, Moro pushed back, saying there is a difference between the status of the party and individual opinions of the PDP.
“The party is an organisation, and the governors, as a forum, are entitled to their opinions,” he explained. “But as a party, we recognise the pronouncements of the court and abide by them.”
Adding his voice to the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) further reinforced the argument, citing constitutional provisions.
“I am rising on a constitutional point of order,” Bamidele stated. “My point of order is rooted in Section 232 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. In fact, relevant to my submission is the entire Chapter 7 of the Constitution, which deals with the judicial arm of government.”
Taking a swipe at Moro, he added, “While I want to thank the Minority Leader for the grandstanding he has done today—which is expected of him—I want him to know that the PDP faction that he is part of has already taken note of his action here, and I congratulate him on that.”
He further emphasised that the issue of party division is a constitutional matter, not one to be debated on the Senate floor.
“The Minority Leader himself defeated his argument by reading the proviso to Section 68(1)(g).
“Whether or not there is division in the PDP is a matter of fact that cannot be decided here. It is visible, even to the blind, that there are sharp divisions in the PDP today. Wike is leading one faction, and Bala Mohammed is leading another.”
Bamidele urged Akpabio to end the debate, framing the PDP’s objections as a distraction:
“Mr. President, I appeal to you to save the precious time of the Senate by bringing this discussion to a close. This is an attempt to distract us and take away from the credit of the APC, which has gained a major member today. It is also an attempt to fetter the discretion of other PDP members who may be considering joining the APC.
“It is the constitutional right of every senator to defect as long as the constitutional provisions are met. If anyone is in doubt, the courts are there to adjudicate. We cannot take over the job of the courts.”
As the exchange grew more intense, Akpabio intervened to restore order. Moro, however, continued his argument, questioning why no APC senators were defecting despite the ruling party’s internal disputes.
“If we say PDP is divided, then is APC not in court over its internal crisis?” Moro asked. “Does that mean APC is divided too?”
Ultimately, Akpabio dismissed the PDP’s objections, ruling that the Senate could not assume the role of a court in determining party divisions. He upheld Nwoko’s defection and ruled Moro’s point of order out of order.
Meanwhile, the Senate has urged President Bola Tinubu to rename Kado Estate, Abuja, after the late former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister and ex-Senator Jeremiah Useni who died recently.
This was sequel to a motion moved by Sen. Simon Lalong (Plateau Central) that the Senate holds a valedictory in honour of the late military Governor of the Old Bendel State.
The legislators, who paid robust tributes, also observed a minute’s silence in honour of the deceased and assured that they will be part of the burial activities.
Members of the late Useni’s family were present to witness the valedictory session.
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