Accord, ruling party absorb five PDP, LP Reps
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) further strengthened its dominance in the Senate yesterday, as three lawmakers elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formally defected to the ruling party.
 
Also, the House of Representatives recorded fresh defections, as four lawmakers joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) while another lawmaker moved to the Accord Party (AP). The defections were announced during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, who read the letters of the affected lawmakers on the floor of the green chamber.
 
Senators Amos Yunana, Aminu Abbas and Ikra Bilbis announced their exit from the PDP through separate letters read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, after which the lawmakers crossed from the minority side of the chamber to join the APC caucus.
 
Their defection came barely 24 hours after Ipalibo Banigo also left the PDP for the APC.
 
The latest development further weakened the PDP’s presence in the Senate, reducing its membership from 17 to 14, while the APC’s strength increased from 81 to 84 senators.
 
Akpabio described the wave of defections as a reversal of what happened during the 8th National Assembly when several APC lawmakers defected to the PDP.
 
“In 2018 during the 8th National Assembly, about 30 senators defected from APC to PDP in one day. Now in the 10th National Assembly, it is the other way round, with PDP senators moving in large numbers to the APC,” he said.
 
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the steady movement of lawmakers into the APC reflected growing confidence in the leadership of Bola Tinubu.
 
The PDP now has 14 senators, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) holds five seats. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have one senator each.
 
A newly registered party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is also represented in the chamber by Seriake Dickson.

House members, who defected to the APC include Garba Inuwa (Yamaltu/Deba Federal Constituency of Gombe State); Abdullahi el-Rasheed (Dukku/Nafada Federal Constituency of Gombe State); Mohammed Audu (Karim Lamido/Lau/Ardo-Kola Federal Constituency of Taraba State) and Joshua Obika (Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency).
 
While Inuwa, el-Rasheed and Audu defected from PDP, Obika announced his exit from LP to join the ruling party.
 
But Adewale Morufu Adebayo (Irepodun/Olorunda/Oshogbo/Orolu Federal Constituency of Osun State) defected from PDP to AP.
 
In their separate letters, the lawmakers attributed their decisions to internal crises and leadership disputes within their former parties, which they said had weakened party structures and hindered their ability to deliver democratic dividends to their constituents.
 
Obika cited the emergence of multiple factions within LP as the reason for his defection.
 
APC now controls 245 seats in the 360-member House, leaving 115 with seven opposition parties.