Amidst the anger and criticism trailing last week defection of a federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives to the All Progressives Congress (APC), an indication has emerged that the ruling party is plotting to poach certain lawmakers in the Senate to swell its number in the Red Chamber.
The lawmaker, representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Plateau State, Ajang Iliya, last week, announced his defection to the APC, bringing to six the LP lawmakers that have dumped the party.
Others include: Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
A source at the APC national secretariat told the Nigerian Tribune that among the five senators on the platform of the LP, two have opened discussion with the party.
The source, who refused to disclose the identities of the lawmakers smarting to dump the LP however said they are from the South East region.
“They have opened discussions with the APC zonal leadership. Their defection will be given same fanfare at the party national secretariat, same way late Ifeanyi Ubah was warmly received when he left the Young Peoples Party (YPP).”
Nigerian Tribune gathered that out of the five LP senators, three are from the South-East.
The list includes: Senators Okechukwu Ezea, (Enugu North) Victor Umeh, (Anambra Central) and Tony Nwoye,(Anambra North).
The other two lawmakers are Senators Ireti Kingibe ( Federal Capital Territory) and Neda Imasuen (Edo South)
Recall that last June, the senator representing Imo East, Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi, dumped the LP for the APC.
In his defection letter read on the floor of the Red Chamber during plenary, he equally cited division within the opposition party.
A breakdown of the lawmakers showed that APC has 63 lawmakers to PDP 34, while both the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) parade 2 lawmakers each, just as the LP has 5, giving a total of 107.
The seats for Edo Central were declared vacant at plenary last week as the erstwhile occupant, Senator Monday Okpebholo had since assumed office as Edo state governor.
Senator representing Anambra South, Ifeanyi Ubah, died last July.
