Speaker Tambuwal, 17 senators, set to officially defect to the APC this week

It’s been the most open secret. Aminu Tambuwal, the PDP speaker of the federal House of Representatives is believed to have only been bidding his time, waiting for the right moment to make his much anticipated switch to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Even before Sokoto governor, Aliyu Wamakko, an ally of the speaker, switched to the APC, Speaker Tambuwal had long been seen as a strong sympathiser of the opposition. He seemed more at ease with members of the opposition and at opposition organised events than those of his own party.  With the defection of Gov. Wamakko, it was only a matter of time before tambuwal followed suit.

Now, reports claim that the speaker is ready to make the switch and could do so as early as this week when the House resumes its sitting following the yuletide holiday.

A report by Thisday newspaper said that plans had been concluded for the Speaker to decamp, although it is uncertain how many members would defect alongside him.

Already 37 members of the House have decamped to the APC, a switch which meant that the APC held the numerical advantage over the PDP in the lower chamber – 174 members to 172. If Tambuwal defects, it would be the first time since the return of democracy that the leadership of any chamber of the House is held by the opposition.

According to the Thisday report:

On the speaker’s planned defection, a  source  said: ‘‘By Tuesday, the speaker will be  gone from PDP. Arrangements have been concluded and he is leaving along with others to achieve a comfortable majority for the opposition APC. He has been consulting and now that he has finished consulting, he feels the time is now to make the move.
“Moreover, the opposition leaders have been putting pressure on him to cross over. The timing is especially urgent to frustrate the reconciliation efforts promised by the president following Tukur’s resignation on Thursday.’’
On what the speaker stands to gain from the opposition since PDP had already promised him the governorship ticket in Sokoto for the 2015 election, which he has rejected, the source added: ‘‘He has a better offer from the APC.’’
But the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh,   stated that the party was unaware of Tambuwal’s defection plan.
“We are totally unaware of that and I doubt it. I think it is a rumour. He was with us at NEC last week and he was very relaxed and exchanged banter with everybody, including the president. So I don’t think he will do that. Don’t forget, he is a leader of the party and the party holds him in high esteem. The party has been good to him, so I don’t think he will do that. We are even expecting him at the NEC meeting tomorrow (Monday),” he said.

In a related development, seventeen senators of the Peoples Democratic Party, are also set to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC, within days after resumption tomorrow. This was disclosed by Senator Bindowo Jibrilla, who represents Adamawa North in the upper legislative chamber during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service  last weekend.

He said the defecting senators will communicate their plans through separate letters to the Senate President, David Mark, shortly after resumption from recess tomorrow. 

REF:  http://www.thescoopng.com/speaker-tambuwal-17-senators-set-to-officially-defect-to-the-apc-this-week/