A former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His defection was announced by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on the floor of the upper chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday.
Dariye, who represents Plateau Central in the Senate, attributed his defection to the crisis in the PDP.
The Senator is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges bordering on the alleged diversion of Plateau State’s ecological fund estimated at N1.16bn while he was governor of the state.
In 2011, he defected from the party to Labour Party, where he contested the senatorial election.
The former governor returned to the PDP in 2014 and had, then, explained that his decision to rejoin the party was because he was a founding member.
He assured of his “loyalty” to the PDP at all times.
In his latest defection letter, he said, “after due consultations with my constituency, I write to notify you of my intention to cross over from the PDP to the APC.
“My decision is informed by the protracted division at the national level of the PDP that led to the massive movement of my supporters to the APC.
“Arising from this, I therefore write to formally inform you of my decision to go along with my supporters. I thank you for your understanding.’”
Fielding questions from newsmen, Dariye said that his decision to dump the PDP was informed by the crack in the party.
He added that most of his constituents had defected to the ruling APC and that he wanted to be with his constituents for effective representation.
“My people in the PDP have moved to the APC and there is no need to remain alone,” he said.
Dariye, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Procurement, reiterated his commitment to serve the people of his constituency.
