The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has written to the Senate seeking the appointment of Senator Shaibu Lau (Taraba North) as the Senate Deputy Minority Leader.
The party wants Lau to replace Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South) who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the resumption of the plenary session for the week, Senator Bwacha rose to inform the Senate of his decision to leave the PDP for the APC, citing factionalisation and division in the PDP in Taraba State.
He also said he is mindful of the infrastructural development brought by the APC to his state and this is also responsible for his decision to leave the PDP.
But raising a point of order, Senator George Sekibo argued that the constitution is clear that a lawmaker must retain his or her seat until the end of that tenure and can only defect to another party if there is a division in the party and the evidence of the division must be brought before the house.
Responding, Senate President Ahmad Lawan ruled Sekibo out of order maintaining that Senator Bwacha understands the political situation in his state better than Sekibo.
He further said the PDP national headquarters has been informed of this decision and has already appointed Senator Shuaibu Lau as the new deputy minority leader.
Senator Bwacha last Thursday decamped from the opposition PDP to the APC.
He was officially received into the APC by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House.