Speaker of the Imo state house of assembly, Collins Chiji, alongside seven other members, have dumped their respective parties for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Chiji, who was elected as speaker in 2019, announced his defection and that of his colleagues during a brief plenary session on Tuesday.

This comes two weeks after the supreme court removed Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governor of the state, and affirmed Hope Uzodinma, candidate of the APC, as the winner of the 2019 governorship election.

The session, which was said to have lasted for 15 minutes, reportedly came to an end after the announcement of the defecting lawmakers names.

Those who defected are 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).

With the defections, APC now has 18 lawmakers with PDP having eight in the Imo State House of Assembly.