According to the report from the Punch, the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressive Congress, Prof Abdulkarim Kana argued that a legal defection involves multiple steps, including submitting a letter of resignation to the original party and receiving acceptance, as well as registering with the new party at the ward level.

He highlighted the importance of formal recognition from the new party, acknowledging that its constitution or NEC could potentially reject a membership application.

In the case of the parliamentarians, he questioned whether the appropriate procedures were followed, given that the Speaker himself was among those defecting.

He asked who the lawmakers might have submitted their resignation letters to, suggesting that the legitimacy of their defections is in question.

He said, "If I claim I have left the party, have I written a letter of resignation to intimate the party and have they accepted my resignation? That is number one. Secondly, have I gone to my ward to register with the new party I joined and given a form of recognition? This is because the party constitution or the NEC can refuse to accept a person applying to be a member. These are all the stages that people are not taking into cognizance

The parliamentarians must write to the speaker to indicate their interest in defecting. But the speaker himself in this case was among them. So, who did they submit their letters to?"