JUST IN: Nine Senators Defect To ADC
Nine senators from different political parties on Thursday announced their defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The lawmakers who declared for the party are 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 by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
In his letter, Nwoye said his decision to leave the Labour Party was due to the party’s internal crisis.
“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,” the letter read.
Reacting after reading the letters, Akpabio welcomed the lawmakers to their new party but dismissed claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was behind the wave of defections.
“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,” he said.
The defections highlight the continuing political realignments in the 10th Senate, where lawmakers have repeatedly switched parties amid crises within several opposition platforms.
As of Thursday, the APC maintains a dominant majority with 87 senators, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now has seven members.
The ADC, strengthened by the new defections, also has seven senators in the chamber.
Other minority parties 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 number of senators to 106.
The Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party currently have no representation in the Senate following the latest defections.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
