No fewer than nine senators from various political parties on Thursday formally announced their defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), further altering the political balance in the Senate.
The lawmakers who declared for the party include Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), Lawal Usman (Kaduna Central), Ogoshi Onawo (Nasarawa South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), and Ireti Kingibe (Federal Capital Territory).
Their letters of defection were read during Thursday’s plenary session by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In his letter, Senator Tony Nwoye explained that his decision was influenced by internal disputes within the Labour 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 letter read.
After reading the letters, Akpabio welcomed the senators to their new party but rejected claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was responsible for the wave of 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 latest development highlights the ongoing political realignments within the 10th Senate, where lawmakers have continued to switch party affiliations amid internal crises in several opposition parties.
As of Thursday, the APC maintains a commanding majority with 87 senators, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now has seven members.
With the latest defections, the ADC also has seven senators in the chamber.
Other minority parties represented in the Senate include the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), each with one senator, bringing the total membership of the Senate to 106.
Following the defections, both the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) currently have no representation in the Senate.
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