The Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kizito Bonzena, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing deepening factional crises at the national level of the PDP.
Bonzena announced his resignation on Monday, revealing that 15 other PDP lawmakers had submitted their letters of defection to the APC, effectively turning the 24-member House into an all-APC legislature.
He clarified that the decision was not driven by personal interest but by what he described as the “collective good” of Taraba State.
He said, “Our people should not misinterpret this decision of ours. It is for the interest of the state.
“We now have all 24 members of the House as APC members. We also want the people of Taraba to see this as the best decision for the state, and they should continue to support the government.”
The defecting lawmakers include:
Deputy Speaker Hamman Adama Abdullai (Bali 2)
Majority Leader Jethro Yakubu (Wukari 1)
Tafarki Eneme (Kurmi)
Akila Nuhu (Lau)
Musa Chul (Gassol 1)
Josiah Yaro (Wukari 2)
Tanko Yusuf (Takum 1)
Veronica Alhassan (Bali 1)
Anas Shuaibu (Karim Lamido 2)
Nelson Len (Nguroje)
Umar Adamu (Jalingo 1)
Joseph Kassong (Yorro)
John Lamba (Takum 2)
Happy Shonruba (Ardo-Kola)
Zakari Sanusi (Ibi)
With these defections, the PDP is now left without a single representative in the state legislature.
Former Speaker Peter Diah, who represents the Mbamnga Constituency on the APC platform, welcomed Bonzena and the others into the ruling party.
Diah recalled how the House leadership treated APC members fairly when they were in the minority and expressed delight that all lawmakers had now aligned with the ruling party at the centre.
He said their collective decision represents “a new dawn for Taraba State,” adding that the move aligns the state legislature with the developmental vision of President Bola Tinubu.
With the defection of all 24 lawmakers, the Taraba State House of Assembly no longer has a minority caucus.
