53 Reps Set To Join APC.

THE coast may have been cleared for the opposition party to assume leadership of the House of Representatives as the Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and 52 of his colleagues may tow the line of their governors following Tuesday's formal merger of the G-7 governors with the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Specifically, the House of Representatives as presently constituted is made up of 208 PDP members and 137 APC members respectively while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party, Accord Party and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) share the remaining 15. 

Following the development, Kano may become an entirely APC state with the 12 PDP members set to join the 12 APC, totaling 24. The 11 PDP members from Sokoto (including Tambuwal) are likely to cross over to the APC just as the six from Kwara State. 

In Rivers State, eight out of the 13 members are said to be loyal to Governor Rotimi Amaechi and are likely to move alongside with him while in Adamawa, four out of the seven PDP lawmakers are said to be with Governor Murtala Nyako. 

If this happens, it was gathered, the PDP's numerical strength would be shot down to 156, while the APC would have the majority of 189 lawmakers. 

The position of the 11 PDP lawmakers from Jigawa is still uncertain as Governor Sule Lamido stays put with the PDP and Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger has also pulled out of the political marriage hence the 10 PDP lawmakers from the state would not be part of the new alignment. 

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, who is a member of the new PDP (Kwara) could not be reached for comments as he is currently out of the country. 

Similarly, efforts to reach the new PDP caucus leader in the House, Andrew Uchendu were not successful. 

Meanwhile, the opposition in the House has said the defection of the governors is a welcome development and a signal that the country would soon be rescued from the apron strings of the PDP. 

National Dailies