A senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Ovie Omo-Agege, has defected form the Labour Party, LP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The President of the Senate Bukola Saraki announced the defection of the senator at plenary on Tuesday.
In a letter to Mr Saraki, Mr Omo-Agege said he left Labour because of its unending internal crisis.
The lawmaker cited Order 43 of the Senate Standing Orders 2011 (as amended) to support his defection.
He said the division in LP had got to an irreconcilable level as Bobo Adou and Abdulkadir Abdulsalam were laying claim to the national leadership of the party.
He added that his defection to APC was supported by his constituents.
“The president, my decision to leave the Labour Party for APC is supported by the leaders and constituents of my senatorial district.
“This is considering the troubling fact of the division within the national leadership of the party.
“Therefore, may I kindly inform all here of this formal decision in this plenary.
“While I assure you of my highest esteem, be further assured of my total commitment to the legislative agenda of this 8th Senate under your leadership and support for the APC government,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr Saraki said “based on the rules of the Senate, there cannot be further debate on the matter since the senator brought his notification to the Chamber via Order 43’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that with Mr Omo-Agege’s defection, APC now has 66 senators in the upper chamber, 42 for Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and none for Labour Party.
Anambra Central Senatorial District seat is vacant as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is yet to conduct by-election to get a replacement for Sen. Uche Ekwunife.
The APC had 60 senators, while PDP had 49 senators at the inception of the 8th Senate.
