The senator representing Ebonyi South, Sunday Ogbuoji on Wednesday caused confusion on the floor of the upper chamber as he unceremoniously aborted his planned defection.
Ogbuoji, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator, made move to defect from the opposition party to the majority All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was prevailed upon by a horde of PDP senators who swarmed around him to persuade him to back down.
Ogbuoji had raised Order 43 (personal explanation) to announce his defection from PDP to APC.
Before Ogbuoji could make the announcement, there was confusion on the floor.
PDP senators crossed the aisle to practically stop Ogbuoji from proceeding further.
For close to 20 minutes, proceedings were stalled as senators gathered in groups.
While APC senators urged the apparently undecided senator to go ahead and announce his defection, their PDP counterparts were locked in discussion with Ogbuoji.
It seemed a ding-dong affair. The shout of “order, order, order by the Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, did not help matter.
A PDP senator attempted to grab the piece of paper Oguoji was holding.
APC senators were already jubilating over the possibility of snatching an opposition senator.
When the seeming confusion cleared, Ogbuoji said: “I came under Order 43 with the intention that I needed to make some declaration this morning. My colleagues in my party the PDP, felt that I needed to consult them more.
“Because of the love they have shown me, I wish to step down my declaration.”
What followed was show of camaraderie and solidarity song among PDP senators.
Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio was so moved by the change of event that he rushed to Ogbuoji’s seat to give him an embrace.
Other PDP senators did the same to the disappointment of APC lawmakers.
Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki who appeared to have detached himself from the unfolding drama announced that the matter was not open for debate “because Ogbuoji came under Order 43.”
Saraki however jokingly announced that he would keep the whole day open any day Ogbuoji wanted to make the declaration.
“The Ebonyi State senator may have chickened out today, who knows what he would do tomorrow. Nobody can tell what PDP senators told him to persuade him to change his mind on an issue that is purely personal. We keep our fingers crossed. The soul of Ogbuoji has gone from the PDP,” an APC senator said
