Unless last-minute changes occur, four members of the House of Representatives on the platform of the party from Benue State will officially defect to the APC when the House reconvenes from its Christmas break next week, thereby reducing the support base of the president further in the National Assembly.
The lawmakers, NL gathered, include Hon. Emmanuel Jime and Hon. Herman Hembe, who have served more than a term in the green chamber.
This is considered as a setback to the presidency because Benue State has hitherto been considered as one of the strongest bases for President Goodluck Jonathan in the north-central, with Governor Gabriel Suswam being one of his close allies.
A source who spoke on basis of anonymity to our correspondent said categorically that more lawmakers will “definitely defect this January and four of them will be from Benue State”.
The reason for the defection is largely linked to disaffection between them and the governor of their state, he said.
This is coming barely three weeks after 37 lawmakers defected en masse from the PDP to the APC, defying the party and damning its threat to declare their seats vacant.
Others said to be warming up to defect are Hon. Bashir Adamu from Jigawa State and Hon. Bogo Bright from Okrika, the first lady Dame Patience Jonathan’s constituency.
More members are also expected from other states like Katsina from where some members defected in the last exercise.
Speculations about the ambivalence of the state governor are rife.
We gathered that since the controversy generated as a result of the ill-fated attempt by the presidency and the PDP to control the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the governor has decided to remain silent and has remained more on the fence than ever before.
He was one of the first pro-Jonathan governors to signify interest in the chairmanship of the NGF before the last-minute dramatic entry of his Bauchi State counterpart, Isa Yuguda, to the race. He is said to have been unhappy that President Jonathan and the PDP didn’t make enough effort to call him to order.