Two members of the House of Representatives from Bayelsa State have left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress, deepening the party’s recent string of losses in the National Assembly.
Rodney Ambaiowei, who represents Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, and Oboku Oforji of Yenagoa, Kolokuma and Opokuma, formally announced their move after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read their letters during plenary on Wednesday, December 10.
Ambaiowei said his decision stemmed from unresolved divisions within the PDP.
He explained that, “This decision is burned out of the division in the national leadership of the PDP, which has sprinkled across the various structures and chapters of the party, creating confusion as to which faction is responsible for the party affairs.”
He added that the uncertainty had affected his ability to serve effectively, stating, “With this uncertainty, it has become difficult to perform my role and effectively represent my constituency.”
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According to him, switching parties was necessary to give his constituents “true representation”.
Oforji also linked his exit to the prolonged leadership tussle in the PDP but expressed appreciation to the platform that brought him into parliament.
He said he remains “deeply” grateful to the party despite moving on.
Their departure came a day after Mansur Musa, a lawmaker from Kebbi, defected from the PDP to the APC, and weeks after Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri made the same move.
The latest defections further shrink the PDP’s numbers in the federal legislature.