Barely one week after the Deputy Speaker of Imo state House of Assembly has led some lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the speaker of the house, Collins Chiji has finally followed suit.

Seven other lawmakers also dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for APC during a plenary that lasted for less than 20 minutes on Tuesday.

The latest defections further strengthened APC’s majority hold on the House barely a month after the former governor of the state, PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha, was ousted by Supreme Court.

The court said APC’s Hope Uzodinma was validly elected as the governor of the state a little less than a year ago and that the Independent National Electoral Commission erred in announcing Ihedioha as the winner of the election.

Other lawmakers who defected apart from Chiji were Uche Ogbuagu (Ikeduru), Dominic Ezerioha (Oru West) Chigozie Nwaneri(Oru East), Kanayo Onyemaechi (Owerri West), Kennedy Ibe (Obowo) Onyemaechi Njoku (Ihitte/Uboma), and Eddy Obinna (Aboh Mbaise).