APC gains two more Reps as Bamidele dumps LP

Candidate of the Labour Party in the last governorship election in Ekiti State, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, on Thursday defected to the All Progressives Congress on the floor of the House of Representatives.

He wrote a formal letter to the House, which was read to members by the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, soon after the session started.
The outgoing Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, represents Ado Ekiti/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency of Ekiti State.
He said he was joining the APC to contribute “more meaningfully” to the governance of the country.
Part of the letter reads, “I am writing to formally inform you and the entire House that I have formally decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC, along with many of my constituents and supporters beyond the immediate constituency I represent in the parliament.

“Kindly note for the record, Mr. Speaker, that I was elected into this parliament on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which had become defunct as of the time I joined the Labour Party in November 2013. The APC was subsequently registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“It is my conviction, as well as that of my constituents and political associates, that joining the APC at this crucial stage of our nation’s polity will enable us contribute more meaningfully to our collective bid to entrench good governance and enhance socio-economic development, while enhancing the growth of our democracy.”
A member from Akwa Ibom, Mr. Micah Umoh, also followed Bamidele’s footsteps by defecting to the APC from the Accord Party on Thursday.
Umoh was formerly a member of the Peoples Democratic Party until December 2014 when he was edged out of the party’s primaries .
He moved to Accord Party ahead of the general elections, but abandoned the party again on Thursday for the APC.
Umoh did not win his re-election bid.
The two defectors had increased the numerical strength of the APC to around 216 going to the 8th Assembly, out of a total of 360 lawmakers.