Nine senators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) formally announced their defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) during a plenary session at the Senate on Thursday. This significant shift in political allegiance was attributed by the lawmakers to persistent internal crises and instability plaguing their former parties.

The senators who made the switch to the ADC include Sen. Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Sen. Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo (Nasarawa South), Sen. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Sen. Binos Dauda Yaroe (Adamawa South), Sen. Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Sen. Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Sen. Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), and Sen. Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna Central). Their letters of defection were officially read on the floor of the chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Several defecting senators cited deep-seated issues within their former political platforms as the primary motivation for their move. Notably, Sen. Tony Nwoye explicitly attributed his resignation from the Labour Party to the 'ongoing multiple litigations' that have significantly undermined the party's cohesion and stability. He further explained that this tumultuous situation had made it increasingly difficult for him to effectively discharge his legislative duties under the LP banner.

Following the formal announcement, Senate President Godswill Akpabio extended a welcome to the lawmakers into their new political platform. However, he emphatically rejected any assertions that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was in any way responsible for these defections. Addressing the chamber, Akpabio highlighted that the senators originated from diverse political parties, insisting that their departures were a clear reflection of internal problems within those respective parties rather than any external influence or inducement.

Akpabio remarked on the varied political backgrounds of the defectors, stating, “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. They’ve not been able to put their parties together. So, the APC cannot be blamed for this.” He concluded by noting that these defections could potentially alter the balance of political forces within the Senate, indicating that such a move would likely bolster the strength of the minority bloc in the chamber.