Two legislators, Kabiru Liman (Kaura North) and Ibrahim Kunchin-Kalgo (Tsafe West), have defected from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in Zamfara State.
They announced their defection in a statement to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abdullahi Sambo in Gusau on Thursday.
“We wish to notify you of our decision to defect from PDP,” said the law makers in the statement. They said the scandal surrounding the extension of tenure of council leaders by the House has diminished the reputation of the legislators in the eyes of the public.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the defection brought to six, the number of legislators who have defected from the PDP to the ANPP in recent times.
NAN recalls that the legislature, on Monday, amended the Zamfara State Local Government Council Law and extended the tenure of the councils by three months.
Shortly after the amendment, five legislators issued a statement disassociating themselves from the tenure elongation.
The legislators alleged that the House, through its leadership, collected N69 million bribe from council chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors to grant the tenure elongation.
In his reaction, the Speaker, Mr Sambo, dismissed the allegations as frivolous and mischievous claims by the opposition to score political points.
Mr Sambo said the decision to extend the councils’ tenure to June was to allow the people to participate fully in the April general elections.
He said no legislator was given bribe to influence the decision of the House.
