Another gale of defection swept through the House of Representatives on Wednesday, July 15, 2014 as three members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Borno State dumped their party for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This came as the House sought the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to present its progress report on the distribution of permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) within next 48 hours to the House.
Committee on Electoral Matters, in view of the forthcoming Osun election and the 2015 elections.
The lawmakers that defected are: Hon. Isa Lawan, Hon. Peter Biye Gumtha and Hon. Abdurrahman Abba Terab.
The opposition APC got consolation too as a PDP member from Yobe State, Hon. Ali Yakubu also left the ruling party.
The three Borno members said their reason for quitting was the liquidation of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) on which platform they were elected, by the INEC.
Meanwhile, acting on a motion brought before the House by Hon. Yakubu Balogun (APC, Lagos) the House expressed worries that “available reports from the states where the distribution is presently ongoing indicated that INEC had not been able to effectively replace all the Temporary Voters’ Cards with permanent ones in those states.”
It also said it was disturbed that “the haphazard distribution of PVCs may lead to disenfranchisement of eligible voters which violates the spirit and letters of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).”
It, therefore, resolved “to invite INEC to appear within the next 48 hours before the House Committee on Electoral Matters with details of progress report on the ongoing distribution of PVCs in all the states where the exercise is presently going on as well as the modalities for distribution of the PVCs in all other states of the federation before the 2015 election.”
