Nine senators from various political parties on Thursday formally announced their defection to the African Democratic Congress, a development that is expected to further reshape the political landscape of the Senate.
The lawmakers who declared their allegiance to the party include the senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Tambuwal; Enyinnaya Abaribe of Abia South; Binos Yaroe representing Adamawa South; Victor Umeh of Anambra Central; Tony Nwoye of Anambra North; Lawal Usman of Kaduna Central; Ogoshi Onawo from Nasarawa South; Austin Akobundu of Abia Central; and Ireti Kingibe representing the Federal Capital Territory.
During Thursday’s plenary session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read out the letters of defection submitted by the lawmakers on the floor of the Senate.
In his correspondence, Nwoye explained that his decision to leave the Labour Party was prompted by internal crises within the party.
“I wish to tender my resignation amid the ongoing multiple litigations within the Labour Party, which have significantly affected the cohesion and stability of the party.
“Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest esteem and regards,” Nwoye’s defection read.
Following the reading of the letters, Akpabio welcomed the defecting lawmakers to their new political platform but rejected claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) played any role in the defections.
He said, “Deputy Senate President and Leader of the Senate, I hope you noticed that I have read (defections) from three different political parties now. So, you cannot accuse the ruling party of tampering with its leadership. Here, we have APGA, Labour, SDP, and all of them.
“So, all of them have a problem. They’ve not been able to put their parties together. So, the APC cannot be blamed for this.
“They are all out to ensure that we have what you call a minority status in this chamber, and I am very proud of them.”
The development highlights ongoing political realignments within the 10th Senate, as lawmakers continue to change party affiliations amid lingering internal conflicts across several opposition parties.
With the latest defections, the APC still maintains a commanding majority in the Senate with 87 members, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now has seven senators.
The ADC has strengthened its presence in the chamber and now holds seven seats following the new additions.
Other minority parties in the Senate include the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), each represented by one senator, bringing the total number of senators to 106.
The Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party currently have no representation in the Senate following the latest round of defections.
