Abaribe, Kingibe, Tambuwal, Umeh, 9 Senators Defect To ADC

No fewer than nine senators from different political parties on Thursday announced their defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a move that is set to further reshape the political configuration of the Nigerian Senate.

The lawmakers who declared for the ADC 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 on the floor of the Senate during Thursday’s plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In his letter, Nwoye attributed his decision to the lingering internal crisis 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 stated in the letter.

Reacting after reading the letters, Akpabio welcomed the lawmakers to their new political platform but dismissed 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 defections highlight the continuing political realignments in the 10th Senate, where lawmakers have repeatedly switched party allegiances amid internal disputes within several opposition parties.

As of Thursday, the APC retains a dominant majority with 87 senators, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dwindled to seven members.

The ADC, boosted by the latest defections, now 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 membership of the Senate to 106.