The senator representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, Nelson Effiong, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Senator Effiong announced his defection during Thursday’s Senate plenary, citing divisions within the PDP as his reason for leaving the party.

Mr. Effiong said “No reasonable politician who is worth his salt would remain and allow his people to be drifting about without a direction. So I have decided today, the 19th day of January, 2017 to resign from the PDP and move to the party that is bringing peace and direction to this country, the APC. So I move.”

There had been rumours that Mr. Effiong was set to dump the PDP some days ago, but was prevented from doing so by the leadership of the Senate.

The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, who is also from Akwa Ibom State, spoke against Mr. Effiong’s defection. Mr. Akpabio denied there was division in the PDP, and said the Akwa Ibom South seat would be taken by from Mr. Effiong through the court.

Joshua Dariye, Plateau, and Yele Omogunwa, Ondo, had earlier defected from the PDP to the APC, also citing division in the opposition party.

Many believe Mr. Dariye, a fugitive who fled the United Kingdom where he was being tried for money laundering in 2004, joined the ruling party in an attempt to avoid conviction in his ongoing trial over allegation of stealing N1.16 billion ecological funds belonging to Plateau State.

The APC now has 64 Senators in the 109-member legislative chamber.

Meanwhile, following calls made by some APC Senators, notably Kabiru Marafa, for Mr. Ekweremadu to defect to the ruling party to avoid removal, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has said he would not leave the PDP.