Three members of the House of Representatives from Katsina State have officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing persistent internal crises within the opposition party.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, read the notices of defection during yesterday’s plenary session. The lawmakers—Abdullahi Balarabe (Bakori/Danja), Abubakar Albaba Aliyu (Batasari/Safana/Dan-Musa), and Yusuf Majigiri (Mashi/Dutsi)—each cited various forms of instability and division within the PDP as the reason for their departure.
Abdullahi Balarabe described the PDP as engulfed in a “protracted crisis,” while Abubakar Albaba Aliyu pointed to the party’s “lack of cohesiveness.” Yusuf Majigiri added that the internal discord in the PDP had reached a “high level without cure.”
The defections were witnessed by prominent political figures from Katsina, including Governor Dikko Radda and APC State Chairman Muhammad Ali, who attended the plenary to show support for the new entrants into the party.
This latest wave of defections adds to a growing trend in the House of Representatives. Over the past several months, lawmakers from the PDP, Labour Party, and even the Young Progressives Party (YPP) have switched party affiliations, mostly in favor of the APC, significantly shifting the political balance in the lower chamber
SEC threatens decisive action against illegal fund operators, prosecution of violators
Disturbed by the negative economic effect of their activities on Nigerians, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has vowed to take decisive action against illegal fund operators and prosecute those who refuses to stop their fraudulent activities.
Ms Frana Chukwuogor, the Executive Commissioner Legal and Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission, said this at a campaign against Ponzi scheme at the Dei-Dei Building Materials Market, Abuja yesterday.
Chukwuogor said the campaign was to sensitise traders, educate them to prevent further victimisation and empower them to make informed decisions when approached with investment requests.
”We want to saturate everywhere, saturation is my favorite word, it means that there will be no room to do anything more.
”We are here to spend time with people having realised that the issue of Ponzi schemes menace is affecting and spreading all over the place and they are deceiving and collecting peoples’ money especially from traders in the market.
”We have seen people lose their life savings, their businesses, and their peace of mind.
”That is why we are taking this message to the markets, motor parks, online platforms—anywhere Nigerians are making financial decisions because prevention through education is our first line of defence,” she said.
Also speaking, the Head of Enforcement Department of SEC, Mr Abdusalam Khalid, said the ommission would not hesitate to prosecute illegal operators who refused to cease their fraudulent activities.
He urged the public to verify all investment opportunities through official channels and report suspicious activities through the SEC helpline.
Some of the traders who spoke appealed to SEC to continue with its fight against the scheme to stop citizens from loosing their monies.
SEC distributed flyers in multiple languages and engaged traders during the campaign.