The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has threatened to ensure two of its members who defected Tuesday, lose their seats in the House of Representatives.

The two members, Tony Nwoye from Anambra and Udende Emmanuel from Benue had on Wednesday declared their intention to defect to the APC.
They sent separate letters which were read by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, on the floor of the House, in which they cited division in the PDP as the reason for their defection.

They also said the PDP had broken into three factions headed by Ali Modu Sheriff, Ahmed Makarfi and Jerry Gana, respectively, and that they did not wish to belong to any faction.

But in a swift reaction also on Wednesday, the party said there was no faction in the PDP.
In a statement signed by the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the party, Ojo Madueke, PDP said there was only one approved National Convention which took place in Port Harcourt on Saturday 21st of May, 2016, which, it said, was, in accordance with the PDP Constitution.

The statement added that the party “approved some far reaching resolutions that had the unanimous support of those who attended the Port Harcourt Convention with subsequent endorsements of another PDP political meeting that took place in Abuja on the same day”.

The statement added that the conveners of the Abuja meeting had since integrated their positions with the structures and resolutions of the Port Harcourt Convention.

“Subsequent meetings of, first, Board of Trustees members, and secondly, meetings with Governor’s Forum, Leadership of National Assembly and Former Ministers in PDP Government Forum, and a PDP Former Governor’s Forum, held, and decided to work together,” the party said.

It also added that aggrieved members are being reconciled across the length and breadth of the country.
“The rank and file of the Party have resolved to work together, and PDP has never been stronger than it is now since its entry into the honourable role of a robust and principled opposition.

“Any suggestion of a faction, is at best ill-informed and ignorant, and at worst, is part of a grand plan to decimate the only political platform today, that is ready, experienced and able to honour the nation’s invitation to have a credible opposition party that will hold Government of the day accountable and thereby strengthen and nourish our young democracy.
“Let it therefore be understood by those of our members in the National Assembly who may be tempted to jump ship, or have already jumped, that on the basis of clear decisions of cases decided in the Supreme Court, they stand the risk of losing their seats in Parliament if they went ahead with their latest indulgence,” PDP said.
PDP said it will insist on a declaration of vacancy and subsequent elections in affected constituencies in the event of such “misguided defections”.
“The pattern of PDP electoral victories all over the federation since the 2015 General Elections shows that where there is election arising from such vacancies, PDP will return a more credible and more loyal representative of the people,” the statement said .

jamace:
Yes, if the votes belong to the party, then the seat belongs to the party. Therefore, any one defecting must leave the seat for the party. Period!