The Ondo state lawmaker cited fractionalization and crisis within the PDP as the reasons for defection.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mayowa Akinfolarin, has dumped the People's Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akinfolarin made the announcement at plenary on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
PDP in crisis
The Ondo state lawmaker cited fractionalization and crisis within the PDP as the reasons for defection.
"Recall that the PDP has been factionalized," the lawmaker announced amidst cheers and opposing views from his colleagues.
He goes on further:, "The PDP was bedeviled with a crisis which led to the emergence of Fresh PDP," he added.
PDP not divided
At this point, PDP lawmakers in the House went berserk. First to speak was Delta state lawmaker, Osai Nicolas Osai.
Osai argued that there was no crisis in the PDP.
"Just to correct the letter, the party is not divided. He raised a strong issue but there is no record that shows any division in the PDP which remains the largest political party in Africa," he submitted.
PDP vows to recall Akinfolarin
Meanwhile, Osun PDP has vowed to recall the defecting lawmaker.
The party’s national vice chairman, South West, Eddy Olafeso, told reporters that arrangements had been concluded to ensure the lawmaker loses his seat at the House of Representatives for defecting to the APC.
He condemned the defection of Akinfolarin and other representatives who dumped PDP for APC and vowed that the defectors would not go unpunished.
"We are starting a process of recall for Mayowa Akinfolarin who called all PDP leaders evil and that he has actually gone on a journey for political survival," Olafeso said.
"We detest that. He took our sweat and blood, and walked away, and thinks he can pee on our heads? We are going to challenge him and recall him. He took the mandate of the people and walked away with it.
"To compare in terms of capacity and intellectualism, who can Mayowa compete with here among the people that are seated. He will hear from us, now that he says we are evil, we will make him the evil person.
"Whoever takes the sweat of other people and walked away with it; the law of Karma is waiting at the corner for him," he said.
APC and PDP are the same
Meanwhile, Senator Shehu Sani believes that there is no difference between the APC and PDP.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Senator Sani likened leaving the PDP for APC to leaving Syria to Afghanistan.