Abuja, NIGERIA – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) faced a near-total collapse in the National Assembly on Tuesday, as a some lawmakers announced their resignations. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while reading the resignation letters during plenary, suggested the party was effectively “dead,” even calling for a more unified process to handle the volume of lawmakers switching sides.
The most prominent exit was that of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), who formally moved to the Labour Party. In his letter, Abaribe cited “uncertainties” and “multiple lawsuits” surrounding the ADC as the primary reason for his departure, just weeks after initially joining the party.
Okay News reports that Abaribe’s move was mirrored by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and Senator Rufai Hanga (Kano Central), who both defected to the newly formed National Democratic Congress (NDC). Hanga’s move is particularly notable as he leaves the NNPP following the recent swearing-in of Murtala Garo as Kano’s Deputy Governor.
The exodus extended to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced that over 15 lawmakers had ditched the ADC for the NDC. The defectors include prominent names such as Uchenna Okonkwo, Afam Ogene, and Thaddeus Attah.
