Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has emerged as the main opposition political party in the Edo State House of Assembly following the defection of members from both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Also, Senator Garba Maidoki (APC, Kebbi South) defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Meanwhile, former NDC senatorial aspirant for Enugu West, Enugu State, Ogochukwu Onyema, has sued the party seeking the refund of about N20 million.

In a letter addressed to the Edo Assembly, Chairman of NDC in the state, Babatunde Olukoga, asked the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, to acknowledge the defection of three members from their former political parties to the NDC.

The affected lawmakers listed by Olukoga include Charity Aiguobarhueghian (Ovia North-East I), Natasha Osawaru (Egor) and Frank Omosigho (Oredo East).

The letter nominated Osawaru as the new Minority Leader, while Omosigho was nominated as the Minority Whip.

But Edo Assembly Majority Leader, Jonathan Ibhamawu, asked the House to step down the NDC’s letter, claiming that due process was not followed.

Ibhamawu said three new NDC members ought to have announced their defection before their political party notifies the House of their defection.

Agbebaku, while setting aside the letter, assured that the requests would be considered once due process had been followed.

MAIDOKI, who chairs the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance and serves as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, cited unresolved internal wrangling within the APC following the state’s recent primaries as the reason for his action.

He is among the lawmakers screened out of the primaries for the 2027 elections.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President and read at plenary yesterday, Maidoki stated that his decision followed “wide consultations with constituents” and protracted problems arising from the APC primaries.

But The Guardian gathered that the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, urged the lawmaker to suspend his defection to allow room for reconciliation. He argued that the APC in Kebbi does not have a fundamental crisis and that Maidoki’s grievances could be resolved internally.

The ADC has increasingly positioned itself as an alternative for politicians aggrieved by the ruling party’s internal processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

ONYEMA, in a suit he filed at the Enugu State High Court with number E/169/2026, in which he joined the national leader of the party, Seriake Dickson, along with Moses Zunoghe and two others, as well as First City Monument Bank (FCMB), is also asking for another N5 million as special damages from the party.

The plaintiff, who had since become the senatorial candidate of ADC in Enugu West after he failed in the bid to get the same from the NDC, is asking for the freezing of FCMB account 1046691859 belonging to the party, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He asked for an order of the court for the defendants to return, with 10 per cent interest monthly, the N20 million from the account 1046691859 or from any other source. He is also requesting N200 million from the defendants jointly and severally, for the psychological trauma, embarrassment, hardship, discomfiture and inconvenience, occasioned by their conduct.

The court adjourned the matter till Thursday, July 2, 2026, for returns on the Assignment of Court and date.
Onyema had raised the alarm that he was “duped” after allegedly paying money tagged as “party support” as a condition for contesting the senatorial ticket of the party, which he failed to clinch.