The lawmaker representing the Esan South-East constituency in Edo State House of Assembly, Ojiezele Osezua Sunday, had dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The lawmaker elected on the APC platform in 2019, was among the 10 lawmakers whom the immediate past Governor, Godwin Obaseki, inaugurated.
However, he defected to the PDP and was re-elected on the platform in the 2023 general election.
Ojiezele said he left the PDP because of the irreconcilable crisis rocking the party at the state and national levels, describing his defection as homecoming.
The defected lawmaker, who represented the PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo in the September 21, 2024, governorship election constituency, promised to woo more supporters back to the party.
The two-time lawmaker was received by the Acting State chairman of the APC, Jarret Tenebe, alongside state executive council members.
Tenebe said more members of opposition parties would join the party.
14 PDP members were elected in the 24-member state House of Assembly, nine APC and one Labour Party.
Meanwhile, PDP has decried alleged efforts by the State’s House of Assembly to work against Court ruling nullifying the suspension of 18 council area chairmen.
The party alleged that the State Government was blackmailing leaders of the councils’ legislative houses to work against the reinstated chairmen from performing their Constitutional duties.
This was disclosed by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Osa Nehikhare, in a statement, after an emergency meeting on Monday president by the Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi.
in the meeting which had local government council chairmen and leaders of the Legislative arms of all the councils in attendance, Aziegbemi said, was to address the ongoing challenges the council chairmen have been facing since the court’s ruling.
The Aziegbemi urged the council chairmen to return to their respective council secretariats and continue to serve the constituents who elected them.
The party advised councils’ legislative leaders to remain vigilant against the deceptive offers presented to them.