Pdp Senators Walk Out On Saraki As Ondo Lawmaker Defects To Apc

SAN FRANCISCO, November 30, (THEWILL) – Members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Caucus in the Senate stormed out of the chamber during Wednesday's plenary after the Senator representing Ondo South, Senator Yele Omogunwa, decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The PDP Senators staged the walk-out shortly after the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, read the letter written by the lawmaker formally declaring his defection to the APC.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who is the leader of the PDP Caucus, had urged Saraki to declare Ondo South's seat vacant, since there was no division in the PDP to justify the defection of Omogunwa.

Saraki however ruled Akpabio out of order, a development that sparked a rowdy session, ultimately causing the Minority Leader to lead other members of the PDP caucus put of the chamber in protest.

The Upper Chamber thereafter asked the member representing Delta Central Senatorial district, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to act as the Minority Leader for the day's sitting.

Addressing a press conference after their action, the PDP caucus in the Senate insisted that the reason which was given by the defector was not tenable, asserting that they will not agree to that.

The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, pleaded without journalists to prevail on the Senate President to declare the defected lawmaker’s seat vacant with immediate effect.

“I am pleading with you journalists to tell Mr. Senate President to quickly declare vacant the seat of Omogunwa so that PDP can bring in another Senator,” he said, adding that the Senator carried out anti-party activities in the just-concluded Ondo gubernatorial election.

Akpabio insisted that the letter read by the Senate President was written before the Ondo gubernatorial election, alleging that Omogunwa had promised to assist the APC candidate win the Saturday election while he was still a Senator on the platform of PDP.

His words, “You can agree with us that the letter was written before Ondo election of his intention to defect which he said he would assist the APC to win.”