PDP set to drag defectors to court

• The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced plans to take legal action against its elected lawmakers who have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

• The party emphasised that there is no internal division to justify the defections.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced plans to initiate court proceedings against lawmakers elected on its platform who have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that such moves are unconstitutional and politically unethical.

Quoting Section 109(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution, the PDP said defections by its lawmakers are invalid unless caused by a division within the party, which it insists does not exist.

“The party has activated that provision of the law and will see the cases to a logical conclusion,” a senior party official told Saturday Tribune.

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The statement came shortly after three senators from Kebbi State—Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South)—announced their defection to the APC following a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.

The PDP, through its National Working Committee (NWC) led by acting Chairman Ambassador Iliya Damagum, described the defections as a betrayal of public trust and vowed to pursue both legal and political avenues to reclaim its mandates. “This trading away of electoral mandates will not go unchallenged,” the party said in a statement.

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In response, APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje assured that the defecting senators would be smoothly integrated into the party, stating, “Our constitution is very clear about this, and beyond that, we have the political dexterity to manage such affairs.”

He dismissed fears of a one-party state, saying, “A one-party state is not imposed; it emerges when people freely choose where they believe governance works best.” Ganduje also praised President Tinubu’s leadership, attributing the defections to growing confidence in the APC’s governance.