Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, joked that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was “dead” following a fresh wave of defections by lawmakers to other political parties, including the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party.
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Akpabio made the remark while presiding over plenary shortly after the Senate formally announced the defection of Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, from the ADC to the NDC.
Umeh, in his letter read on the floor of the Senate, cited lingering leadership divisions and unending litigation within the ADC as reasons for his decision to leave the party.
“I welcome you and the entire Senate through this medium of my resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and my defection to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC),” Umeh stated in the letter.
He said the decision followed wide consultations with his family, constituents and supporters, adding that the internal crisis in the ADC had made continued membership of the party difficult.
“I have taken this decision after wide consultations with my family, my constituents and supporters in view of the lingering divisions in the leadership and unending litigation in the African Democratic Congress,” the letter read.
Umeh said he remained committed to contributing to national development, but would now do so under the platform of the NDC.
“I remain committed to making my contributions towards the development of our dear nation, but this time through the NDC. Please accept the assurances of my highest regards. Yours faithfully,” he wrote.
After reading the letter, Akpabio congratulated the lawmaker before making light of the growing number of defections from the ADC.
“Resignation from ADC and declaration for Labour Party. Maybe all those defecting from ADC should just compile everything in one paper and bring, so that we don’t keep announcing, announcing, announcing. Because I think ADC is dead,” Akpabio said, drawing reactions in the chamber.
The Senate President also questioned the frequency of political defections by some lawmakers, joking that the chamber may need a more coordinated process for handling such announcements.
“How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he said.
Akpabio suggested that lawmakers moving from one party to another should submit their defection notices collectively to avoid repeated announcements during plenary.
“So that it doesn’t look like a daily ritual. If you are defecting from Labour, you write all of you. If you are moving from ADC, you write all of you. If you are entering NDC, you write all of you,” he added.
During the sitting, Akpabio also read a defection letter from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, noting his movement across political parties in recent years.
“Note that Senator Abaribe has moved from APGA to ADC, and now he has moved from ADC to Labour Party,” Akpabio said, before joking that future announcements of defections may no longer be read individually.
The development comes amid a fresh wave of political realignments in the National Assembly, with no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives also defecting from the ADC to the NDC.
The defections in the House were announced during plenary by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
The lawmakers who moved to the NDC include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The lawmakers also reportedly cited unresolved internal crises within the ADC as the basis for their defection.
Umeh had earlier confirmed his resignation from the ADC during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, saying he formally left the party on May 1 before joining the NDC.
“I’ve resigned from the ADC since the 1st of May. NDC? That’s the destination,” he said.
Explaining the reason for his exit, Umeh said the coalition that initially gave rise to the ADC had raised hope among members and supporters, but was later weakened by internal disagreements and legal disputes.
“When the coalition came together, it came with a lot of hope. Along the line, legal twists were introduced in the matter,” he said.
He also defended frequent party movements in Nigeria, attributing them to weak institutional stability within the country’s political system.
“Movement from party to party happens in Nigeria because of the lack of stability in our politics,” Umeh said.
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