The majority leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has questioned the legality of the defection of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At a press briefing on Tuesday, he said the defected lawmakers had interpreted the law to suit their actions.
He, therefore, asked the APC to challenge the move in court in order to enforce democracy.
He said, “On the legality of the crossover, I think section 68 has addressed this issue. Members on the floor on both sides of the aisle tried to interpret the section the way it suits them but, unfortunately, that section has already been interpreted by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the case of PDP versus Abegunde who a member of the House of Representatives.
Gbajabiamila added, “Therefore, we will be encouraging the party to take the necessary steps, not because we are against our members but so that we can continue to entrench democracy.
“When people elect you on a particular platform to represent them, that seat does not belong to you, that seat belongs to your constituency, so it is important that this position is stated clearly and that we put it to rest”.
Gbajabiamila also insisted that the party still had majority seats in the National Assembly and its doors remain open to members who wish to return
Furthermore, he commended the remaining members for being committed amidst the crisis.
Fourteen senators defected from the party on Tuesday.
The senators included: Dino Melaye, former Governor of Kano Rabiu Kwankwaso and 11 others who crossed over to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
One other senator who defected is yet to decide on which party to join.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, made the announcement on Tuesday during plenary.
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