Fresh defections have further weakened the caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Nigerian Senate, as three lawmakers joined the ruling All Progressives Congress, citing internal crises within their former party.
The senators—Amos Yunana (Adamawa North), Aminu Iya Abbas (Adamawa Central), and Ikra Aliyu Bilbis (Zamfara Central)—announced their defection in letters read during Wednesday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Their move came just a day after Ipalibo Banigo of Rivers West also left the PDP for the APC. The latest defections reduced the opposition party’s representation in the Senate from 17 to 14 members, while the APC’s numbers rose to 84.
Speaking after the lawmakers switched seats in the chamber, Akpabio described the wave of defections as unprecedented in Nigeria’s legislative history since independence in 1960.
He, however, noted that the current situation mirrors events in 2018 during the 8th Senate, when several lawmakers—including the former Senate President Bukola Saraki—left the APC for the PDP.
“To me, what is happening now between PDP and APC senators is more like a one-all draw,” Akpabio said, recalling that about 30 senators defected from the APC to the PDP in a single day during the 8th National Assembly.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the defections reflected growing confidence in the administration of President Bola Tinubu. “The defectors are not daft. They have seen that something is working in the country for the good of all,” he said.
With the latest changes, party representation in the Senate has shifted significantly from the composition at the start of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023. The APC now holds 84 seats, while the PDP has 14. Smaller parties such as the African Democratic Congress hold five seats, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party and All Progressives Grand Alliance have one seat each.
The Senate currently has 106 serving members, three short of the constitutional 109, following the deaths of Senators Godiya Akwashiki, Okechukwu Ezea, and Barinada Mpigi.
