The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Acho Ihim, on Thursday led 18 lawmakers to defect from their former parties to the Action Alliance.
The House has 27 members.
The affected lawmakers were before now members of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Achime read the notice of defection of the lawmakers dated November 7 during plenary.
According to him, three former members of the PDP defected to the AA.
He listed the former PDP members to include Ken Agbim, Bruno Ukoha and Mike Iheanatu.
Apart from the Achime, former APC members who joined AA are Ikechukwu Amuka, Authur Egwim, Uju Onwudiwe, Uche Ejiogu, Ngozi Obiefule, Lugard Osuji, Lloyd Chukwuemeka and Victor Onyewuchi.
Others are Chinedu Offor, Kennedy Ibe, Lawman Duruji, Max Odunze, Henry Ezediaro and Obinna Egu.
“What Oshiomhole did in Imo State was injustice and it is against the tenets of ideal democracy,” the Speaker
Speaking after the notice of defection was read, one of the defectors, Amuka accused the national chairman of the ruling party, Adams Oshiomhole, of “collaborating with crooks to hijack APC in Imo State.”
The Majority Leader, Lugard Osuji said the APC national chairman was unjust to them during the party primaries in the state.
He said he was ashamed that he was ever associated with APC.
Osuji, who retains his position as the majority leader after the defection, said the lawmakers would team up with the AA governorship candidate in the state, Uche Nwosu, to win the election.
He also said they would work for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari during the presidential election.
Agbim, who joined AA from PDP, said he and his two colleagues left the party because of the emergence of “New PDP” in the state.
He said the PDP in the state had no leadership direction.
Punch
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