Two Bayelsa Reps dump PDP for APC

Two members of the House of Representatives from Bayelsa State have resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), widening the wave of opposition lawmakers crossing over to the governing party in recent days.

The lawmakers – Rodney Ambaiowei (Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency) and Obuku Oforji (Yenogoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency) announced their departure in separate letters read by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, during Wednesday’s plenary.

Their defection comes barely 24 hours after Mansur Jega, who represents Aliero/Gwandu/Jega Constituency of Kebbi State, also dumped the PDP for the APC, citing unresolved internal rifts.

In his letter, Mr Ambaiowei, who is serving his first term in the House, said his decision was driven by what he described as “division at the national level of the PDP,” which he said had cascaded across the party’s structures, leaving members confused over which faction controls the organisation.

“This decision is borne out of the division at the national level of the PDP, which has sprinkled across the various structures and state chapters of the party, creating confusion as to which faction is in charge of the party structures,” he wrote.

“With these uncertainties, it has become difficult to perform my role and effectively represent my constituency. Consequently, this decision has become pertinent to offer true representation to the good people of Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, while also contributing meaningfully to national development under the All-Progressive Congress.”

Mr Oforji offered similar reasons, describing his exit from the PDP as a response to the party’s lingering crisis, which he said had eroded its internal cohesion and undermined its effectiveness as a political institution.

“We are all aware of the protracted crisis in my former party, the PDP. It is on this premise that I have decided to defect to the All Progressive Congress, APC,” he said in his letter to the Speaker.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the PDP for his political rise, saying, “I remain deeply grateful to my former party, the Peoples Democratic Party, for the platform and the opportunities it provided me to serve in various capacities.”

On 3 November, the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, dumped the PDP for the APC. Since then, lawmakers from the state in the National Assembly have also been defecting to the APC, citing a crisis in the opposition party.

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The defections represent a fresh setback for the PDP, which has struggled to resolve leadership disputes and unify its national structure since the aftermath of the 2023 general election. Similar divisions have triggered a string of resignations and defections in recent months, especially in states with intensified factional battles.

With Wednesday’s development, the APC strengthens its numbers in the House, where it already holds a comfortable majority.