The senator representing Rivers West, Ipalibo Banigo, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a letter read at the Senate plenary on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the senator attributed her decision to the protracted division within the party.
Reading the letter, Akpabio quoted the defecting senator as also attributing her decision to her support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as the exemplary leadership of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Previously, six members of the House of Representatives and two senators from the state defected to the APC.
The reps included Dumnamene Dekor, Cyril Hart Godwin, Solomon Bob, Victor Obuzor, Blessing Amadi and Felix Uche, Boniface Emerengwa (Ikwerre/Emuoha Federal Constituency), Awaji-Inombek Abiante (Andoni/Opobo Federal Constituency) and Boma Goodhead (Asari-Toru Federal Constituency).
They are Senator Barinada Mpigi (Rivers South-East) and Senator Allwell Heacho Onyesoh (Rivers East) who had defected to the APC.
However, Mpigi died last month.