The Speaker’s decision came as a shock to the leadership of PDP, who earlier in December had extracted a word of commitment from the House leaders that member’s defection will no longer be tenable.
National Mirror gathered that the Sokoto State chapter of the APC has mandated its Tambuwal Local Government chapter to formally present a membership card to the Speaker who has been asked by the state Governor, Aliyu Wamakko to formally declare his stand.
It was gathered, however, that Tambuwal would retain his seat as Speaker due to the numerical strength of the opposition party as soon as he decamps from the PDP and join the APC in January.
It will be recalled that the defection of some members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the ruling party into APC has brought the number of the federal lawmakers of the opposition party to 172. The PDP presently has 171.
The likely defection of Tambuwal will further alter the equation in favour of APC in the House, with its membership increasing to 173, with PDP coming down to 170.
More PDP members in the House are also planning to join Tambuwal as soon as he declares for APC.
A source in Tambuwal's camp confirmed the move by saying:
"Mr. Speaker... is set to tap the numerical strength of APC in the House to retain his seat. The defection of Mr. Speaker is going to alter the political equation in the House substantially because many other members of the House are likely to join him to move to APC.
“The speaker has made up his minds and he has perfected the strategies with the leaders of APC and he is not likely to go into APC alone as some of his colleagues in the House have also decided to follow him into the opposition party."
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