A drama of sorts played out on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday when one of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers from Ondo State announced that he was defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Yele Omogunwa’s defection caused an uproar in the red chamber of the National Assembly leading to the lawmakers of the opposition PDP staging a walkout.

The letter of notification by the Ondo Senator was read at plenary by Senate President Bukola Saraki, saying that Omogunwa’s decision was due to the recent developments in Ondo State.

With the lawmaker’s change of party, all the three Senators from Ondo are now members of the APC.

Meanwhile, as Saraki was reading Omogunwa’s letter some APC Senators were seen rejoicing while their PDP counterparts were shouting “go, go, go” to Omogunwa, resulting into momentary rowdy session.

Senate Minority Leader and former Akwa Ibom Governor, Godswill Akpabio, then raised a Point of Order saying that Omogunwa’s defection to APC was without any cogent reason, urging the Senate President to declare his seat vacant.

However, Saraki ruled Akpabio out of order, citing another relevant section of the Senate Standing Orders.

Also, the Chairman of the Senate committee on the Federal Capital Territory, Dino Melaye, raised another constitutional point of order, insisting that the PDP was clearly factionalized both at the National level and in Ondo state, describing the situation in the opposition party as  a very wide “gulf”.

Consequently, all the PDP Senators at the plenary staged a walkout to address the Senate Press Corps.