Bayelsa Senator Joins APC As PDP’s Sen Jarigbe Perfects Defection Plan

Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Senator Benson Agadaga, has formally resigned from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing irreconcilable differences within his former party.

In a letter addressed to the Senate and read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Wednesday’s plenary, Agadaga said his decision followed “deep reflection and wide consultations” with his constituents and political associates, noting that “change remains the only permanent thing in life.”

In a related development, PDP stakeholders in the Cross River North senatorial district, said they have concluded plans to defect to APC in solidarity with Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe.

Recall that on October 22, 2025 Senator Jarigbe, lawmaker representing Cross River North, visited Aso Rock Villa to officially inform President Bola Tinubu of his defection to the ruling party.

The senator followed it up with a visit to the APC state chairman in Cross River, Alphonsus Eba to also notify him of his defection and readiness to work with the leadership to reposition the party in the northern senatorial district.

Senator Agadaga, who represents Bayelsa East, said the time for him to change political journey has come.

In his letter read by Senator Akpabio during plenary on Wednesday, the Bayelsa lawmaker, thanked God and his PDP supporters for the opportunity to serve.

He added, “The fact that I stand here today as a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is due to the benevolence of the then People’s Democratic Party and the goodwill of many Nigerians.”

He also acknowledged the PDP’s role in elevating former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the highest office in the land, saying he remained “eternally grateful” for that legacy.

However, the senator lamented the current state of the PDP, describing it as “a shadow of its former self” plagued by division and internal strife.

“It is both astonishing and disheartening to observe that the once proud and largest political party in Africa has been reduced to a state of disarray due to internal wrangling and irreconcilable differences. The umbrella has been torn apart and is leaking profusely; the center can no longer hold,” he said.

Agadaga explained that after careful consideration, he decided to join the APC, which he described as “a progressive platform committed to national unity and development.

“After wide-ranging consultations, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that progressivism — thinking progressively and acting progressively — is the way forward. I therefore formally declare my resignation from the tattered People’s Democratic Party and announce my defection to the All Progressives Congress with effect from today, October 29, 2025,” he declared.

Meanwhile, Senator Jarigbe, in a statement by his media adviser, John Agom Agom, said in continuation of consultation, he convened a strategic meeting in Abuja on Tuesday with top PDP figures from the zone to review the political landscape and chart a new direction.

The statement said: “Discussions at the meeting held at the Rockview Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, centered on aligning with what participants described as the progressive direction of the state under Governor Bassey Otu and the reform-driven agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

While addressing the PDP stakeholders at the meeting, Senator Jarigbe said he moved over to the APC to assist President Tinubu in repositioning the country for greater heights.

“My people should be assured that defecting to the ruling party will not stop me from empowering the constituents and embarking on people-oriented projects and to alleviate the sufferings of the zone.

“I must also assure all the stakeholders that our regular consultations will not stop. There are better days ahead,”Jarigbe stated.

Speaking, the Cross River state PDP chairman, Venatius Ikem, commended Senator Jarigbe for the bold step taken so far, promising to go back to the state executive members for further consultations on the next line of action.

Present at the meeting were Hon. Godwin Offiono, member representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Austin Edibe; former Secretary to the State Government, among others.