Rowdy session as PDP Senators prevent colleague from defecting to APC

By Christiana Ekpa

The 2019 tussle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming general elections, yesterday deepened as PDP senators prevented one of their member from defecting to the APC.
Senator Sonni Ogbuoji ( PDP Ebonyi South) had come under order 43 of the rules of the Senate to announce his official defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Members of the PDP and APC kept pressuring the Senator, as they did not allow him to finish before the floor was thrown into rowdiness.
While the APC Senators were dragging the new defector to their wing, PDP lawmakers scampered to rescue him to their wing.
Having brought the floor to decorum, Senator Ogbuoji, in a twist of event, announced that he was withdrawing his earlier announcement.
“I came under order 43 with the intention that I needed to make some declarations this morning. But my party, the PDP felt I had not consulted with them enough.
“So, because of the love they had shown to me in the past, I’m stepping down my decision to decamp,” Ogbuoji declared.
Responding, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki who presided over the plenary, did not object to the withdrawal of statement of defection.
He said: “In lines with our rules, we cannot debate on this. But, Senator Sonni, I’m going to keep the whole day open for you, in case you wish to come under order 43 again and perfect your defection.”