Taraba Assembly Speaker, all PDP members defect to APC

The Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Kizito Bonzena, along with 15 other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
‎
This mass defection has resulted in the entire 24-member State House of Assembly now being composed solely of APC members, eliminating all opposition presence in the chamber.
‎
The Speaker stressed that the existing issues of factionalisation of the PDP at the national level as the primary reason for the defection, claiming the decision is in the collective interest of the state.
‎
This development in the legislative arm of Taraba State politics aligns with the recent announcement by the state Governor, Agbu Kefas, of his own impending defection from the PDP to the APC.
‎
The list of defectors includes high-ranking principal officers of the House such as the Deputy Speaker, Hamman Adama Abdullai, and the Majority Leader, Jethro Yakubu, confirming a total shift from the PDP to the APC.
‎
‎The Speaker sees the defection as a non-personal choice necessary to benefit the state by aligning with the political party controlling the central government, following Governor Agbu Kefas’s recent confirmation that he will also formally defect to the APC, eliminating political opposition in both the executive and legislative arms of the state.
‎
Critics express concern that the absence of any opposition in the legislative arm threatens democratic principles and accountability. Having all 24 lawmakers belong to the Governor’s party eliminates institutional checks and balances, potentially paving the way for a rubber-stamp legislature.
‎
‎