APC maintains majority in House of Reps with 192 members

 The 37 members of the House of Representatives who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday said "victimization and criminalization of APC members with divergent views" made them dump the party.

A cross-section of the defectors led by Razak Atunwa (now PDP, Kwara) said they had joined the APC in 2014 because they believed in its change and progressive ideals, which according to him, is now derailed as the party is set to the path of "self-destruct."

The defection saw 37 members elected under APC platform dump the party for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) at the House of Representatives.

Some of the 33 defectors to the PDP include Ahmed Chachangi (Kaduna), Razak Atunwa (Kwara), Aliyu Madaki (Kano), Hassan Saleh (Benue), Mark Gbillah (Benue), Aliyu Pategi (Kwara), Aminu Shagari (Sokoto), Abdulsamad Dasuki (Sokoto), Emmanuel Oker-Jev (Benue), Nasir Garo (Kano).

 Others include Zacharia Mohammed (Kwara), Hassan Omale (Benue), Funke Adedoyin (Kwara), Tope Olayuonu (Kwara), Dickson Takir (Benue), Bode Ayorinde (Ondo), Ali Madaki (Kano) among others.

The four lawmakers who defected to the ADC were Taiwo Akintola (Oyo), Olufemi Samson (Oyo), Sunday Adepoju (Oyo) and Wole Olasupo (Oyo).

Addressing newsmen after the defection, the leader of the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) said the defected members were in desperate search of tickets for the 2019 general election.

As party membership now stands in the House of Representatives, APC has 192; PDP, 156; APGA, 5; ADC, 4; Accord, 1; SDP, 1; and a vacant seat over a deceased member.