Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan lost his majority in parliament on Wednesday after 37 lawmakers bolted his party for a new opposition coalition, the latest political blow to hit the embattled leader.

In a letter presented to the speaker of the lower house, the lawmakers elected under Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared that they had joined the All Progressives Congress, stripping the PDP of its majority in 360-seat chamber.

They listed "divisions in the political party (PDP) that sponsored our election" as the reason for the move.

The PDP had controlled the lower house in Africa's most populous nation and top oil producer since the end of military rule in 1999, but was left with just 171 lawmakers after Wednesday's announcement.

Jonathan has been haemorrhaging support in recent weeks, including the defection of five powerful state governors to the APC last month.

Publicly, the president's rivals have said his political troubles are tied to poor job performance, including galloping corruption and a failure to improve woeful electricity supply.

But analysts argue the real divisions are linked to Nigeria's 2015 polls.

Jonathan has so far refused to declare his plans but is widely expected to seek re-election, even as he has faced mounting calls to stand aside.

He has been accused of breaking an unwritten rule in the PDP which calls for the presidency to rotate between Christians from the south, like Jonathan, and Muslims from the north.

Jonathan, an ex-vice president, took the top job in 2010 after the sudden death of his predecessor Umar Musa Yar'Adua, a northern Muslim who served less than three years.

The practical impacts of the power shift in the house were not immediately clear as Nigeria has not had a divided federal government in decades.

Lagos State University professor Dapo Thomas said the developments will hurt the PDPs image as Nigeria's natural ruling party.

"The defection will shake the root and foundation of the PDP," the political science lecturer said.

Laja Oduka, a political scientist at the University of Lagos, told AFP that the opposition will use the lower house "to torment the PDP", including the possibility of moving forward on impeachment hearings.

"We will certainly see a shift in the balance of power," on the national stage he said.

While Jonathan's allies still hold 74 seats of 109-member upper house, Thomas said a threat to the PDP majority there could force Jonathan to make major concessions.

In past statements, the PDP has branded supporters who defect as "agents of distraction" and cast doubt on the credibility of the APC.

Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has not had a democratic change in government, with power shifting from a ruling party to the opposition.

http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-president-loses-parliament-majority-37-mps-defect-181345472.html

Laja Oduka, a political scientist at the University of Lagos, told AFP that the opposition will use the lower house "to torment the PDP", including the possibility of moving forward on impeachment hearings.

Getting sticky, two types of Polithievians in our country
1. Regular ordinary Politician ex: Goodluck
2. Military Politician ex:OBJ

Goodluck did not stick to the plan of bringing returns to the Cabals not only that he encouraged his current ministers to follow him in ignoring the protocol. I hope the elite finish themselves!

I love yahoo for one thing.
The variety of comments from all over the world that follows their news reports are always very interesting.
Some of the commentators can be very smart and noteworthy,while most are just plain ignorant or even daftt.

solomon111: I love yahoo for one thing.
The variety of comments from all over the world that follows their news reports are always very interesting.
Some of the commentators can be very smart and noteworthy,while most are just plain ignorant or even daftt.

Yeah like the comment that he is Islamic

the downfall of a Man always begin with his decision

“In bourgeois politics, the ongoing development is called ‘realignment forces.’ In the process, those who have been excluded from the ‘come and chop’ policy of the PDP are now being asked to choose their place at the table in case the APC takes over power in 2015,” Mr. Falana said.
Lamenting that the APC leaders did not have any plan to woo the youth who constitute more than 60 per cent of the country’s voting population, Mr. Falana said the mobilisation of the past leaders and other PDP chieftains had basically shown that the opposition leaders were only interested in power.

He said, “The APC has no plan to woo the youth who constitute more than 60% of the voting population. It is the belief of the leaders of both APC and PDP that the 2015 general election is going to be fixed by the traditional manipulators of elections. This is the basis of the ongoing mobilisation of the PDP chieftains including those who cannot win elections in their own wards.

“By wooing discredited military and civilian despots who have destroyed the country since 1966, the APC has shown that it is only interested in power for the sake of power.-Falana

https://www.nairaland.com/1564397/apc-not-progressive-party-femi
We have been saying this but you guys won't listen!!!

Parable : A man rakes up dry dead leaves in his back garden, he gathers them up into a pile before sets them alight.

Why do people count their eggs before the hatch?

What is national about an assemblage of past criminals? See how their godfather, Obj promoted corruption during his reign here:
https://www.nairaland.com/1564411/obasanjo-forced-me-pay-god#20377799

Is Obj the kind of person we should listen to again?