Ogun assembly rejects defection letters of two lawmakers

The Ogun House of Assembly on Tuesday, rejected defection letters of two members of the House over failure to prove the existence of crisis or division in their party.

Mr Suraj Adekunbi (APC-Yewa North1), the Speaker, said this while reacting to the submission of Mr Yinka Mafe (APC-Sagamu1), Majority Leader, who spoke after the Speaker had read the defection letters of the lawmakers during plenary in Abeokuta.

Adekunbi had read a separate letter intimating the House that Mr Biyi Adeleye (Remo North constituency ) and Mr Harrison Adeyemi (Ogun Waterside constituency) had defected from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

In the letter, Adeleye cited division and crisis in APC both at the State and National level as the reason he was dumping the party, saying the party had been polarised into two factions.

He stated that his new party shares the same philosophy with him and his constituency.

Meanwhile, Mafe urged the Speaker to discountenance the reasons advanced by the lawmaker that the APC was polarised into two factions.

“APC has one party chairman in the person of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

”It will be unfortunate if we allow it to go down that APC has been divided whereas the party has not been divided.

”I want you to tell him to prove to this House that APC is divided. If he can not prove it, the Speaker should use his office to do the needful,” he said.

The Speaker, however, noted that there was no crisis or division in APC both at the state and national level.

“On this note, the matter will be set aside until the lawmakers are able to prove to the House that there is crisis in the party,” he said.

Also during plenary, the Speaker read the defection letter of Mr Bowale Solaja (Ijebu North constituency), who defected from the PDP to the APC.

Our correspondent reports that four members of the House had on Aug.16 defected to two different parties.

Two of the lawmakers, Mrs Akintayo Folakemi (Yewa South) and Mr Ojo Viwanu (Ipoka/Idiroko) defected from PDP to APC while Mr Jemili Akingbade (Imeko Afon) and Atanda Razaq (Yewa North 11) left PDP for African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Our correspondent reports that the assembly now has 20 APC members, PDP four while ADC has 2 members.