Abuja, Nigeria — Nine members of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the upper chamber of the country’s National Assembly, have formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a political development that signals a new round of realignments within Nigeria’s national legislature.
The announcement was made during a plenary session of the Senate in Abuja, the capital of Africa’s most populous country. The President of the Senate of Nigeria, Godswill Akpabio, read the lawmakers’ letters of defection on the floor of the chamber on Thursday.
The senators who joined the African Democratic Congress include Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the senator representing Sokoto South Senatorial District in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria; Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South Senatorial District in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria; and Binos Yaroe, representing Adamawa South Senatorial District in Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria.
Also among the defectors are Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria; Tony Nwoye, the senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District; Lawal Usman, senator for Kaduna Central Senatorial District in Kaduna State in northwestern Nigeria; Ogoshi Onawo, representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District in Nasarawa State in north central Nigeria; Austin Akobundu, senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District; and Ireti Kingibe, the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the administrative territory that includes Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja.
Their defection reflects ongoing tensions and disputes within several opposition political parties in Nigeria. The movement of the lawmakers to the African Democratic Congress highlights the shifting alliances that have continued to shape the country’s 10th Senate since it was inaugurated in 2023.
In his letter announcing the move, Senator Tony Nwoye explained that internal legal disputes within his former political party influenced his decision to resign.
“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.
After reading the letters before the chamber, Senate President Godswill Akpabio welcomed the lawmakers to their new political platform but rejected suggestions that the defections were orchestrated by Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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.”
Okay News reports that the defections underline the continuing political turbulence within some of Nigeria’s opposition parties, where leadership disputes and internal legal battles have triggered a wave of party switching among elected officials.
Despite the latest defections, the All Progressives Congress remains the dominant political party in the Senate with 87 members.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of Nigeria’s main opposition parties, now has seven senators remaining in the chamber.
Following the latest political changes, the African Democratic Congress also now holds seven seats in the Senate.
Other minority parties maintain limited representation. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) each have one senator.
With the defections completed, the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party currently have no representation in the Senate. The chamber now has a total membership of 106 senators.
The development is expected to influence political alliances and legislative negotiations in Nigeria’s parliament as lawmakers continue to reposition themselves ahead of future political contests.
