In what is being described as one of the most political realignments in recent legislative history, nine senators from three opposition parties on Thursday defected to the African Democratic Congress in the chambers of the Nigerian Senate.
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The mass defection, which cuts across the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, signals a dramatic shift in the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections and positions the ADC as an emerging force in Nigerian politics.
Letters of defection addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio were read during plenary, confirming the movement of the following senators:
From the PDP, five senators crossed to the ADC — former Governor and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal representing Sokoto South; Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo of Nasarawa South; Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe of Adamawa South; Senator Austin Akobundu of Abia Central; and Senator Lawal Adamu Usman of Kaduna Central.
From the Labour Party, three senators made the switch — Senator Ireti Kingibe representing the Federal Capital Territory; Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra Central; and Senator Tony Nwoye of Anambra North.
From APGA, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the outspoken lawmaker representing Abia South and former Senate Minority Leader, also crossed to the ADC.
The defections deal a significant blow to the PDP, which has been battling a protracted internal leadership crisis, and further depletes the ranks of the Labour Party and APGA in the upper legislative chamber.
Meanwhile, the ADC moved swiftly to address reports suggesting that Senator Ireti Kingibe had been suspended from the party. In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the reports as false and misleading.
The ADC said it has clear constitutional channels and established internal mechanisms for addressing any allegations involving its members, adding that such matters are not handled through press statements. The party urged the public and the media to disregard the suspension claims.
In a related development, Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned his membership of the PDP.
In a letter dated March 4, addressed to the chairman of PDP in Jada 1 ward, Adamawa State, Adamu said his decision to leave the party takes immediate effect.
His resignation comes on the heels of his earlier departure from his position as Commissioner for Works and Energy Development in Adamawa State at the beginning of the month. The move follows the defection of Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress, a decision that triggered a wave of political realignments in the state.
Although Adamu did not publicly declare his next political destination, his father Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has been at the centre of the party’s internal crisis. The younger Abubakar’s exit is seen as a further indication of the deepening fractures within the PDP and the growing disillusionment among key stakeholders with the party’s direction.
Thursday’s mass defection reshapes the balance of power in the Senate and raises serious questions about the viability of the PDP, LP and APGA as they prepare for the 2027 electoral cycle. The ADC’s sudden influx of high-profile senators, including seasoned politicians like Tambuwal, Abaribe and Umeh, transforms the party from a fringe outfit into a potentially significant opposition platform.
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