…As ADC overtakes PDP in minority parties
There was an uproar in the Senate on Thursday as the defection of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was rejected by the upper legislative chamber, citing constitutional breach.
Abaribe was among the nine Senators whose letters of defections to other political parties were read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio during plenary.
Other lawmakers who joined ADC are Senators Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP Sokoto South), Binos Yaroe (PDP Adamawa South), Victor Umeh (LP Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (LP Anambra North), Lawal Adamu (PDP Kaduna Central), Ogoshi Onawu (PDP Nasarawa South), Austin Akonbudu (PDP Abia Central) and Ireti Kingibe (LP FCT).
While they cited internal crises and divisions in their paries (PDP and LP) to justify their action, Abaribe couldn’t mention that against the APGA.
This made Akpabio and his deputy, Senator Jibrin Barau (APC Kano North) to point out constitutional breach, reminding the chamber that there was no crisis in APGA that warranted the defection of Senator Abaribe.
Specifically, Barau rose through Order 20 of the Senate’s standing rule to puncture Abaribe’s defection from APGA which according to him, has no division or crisis at the national level, insisting that he be asked to withdraw his letter of defection and go back to his APGA or risk vacating his seat, as it was the party that sponsored him to the Senate during the election.
“Mr President as directed by you, I’ve gone through the letters forwarded to you and read by you on defections of the Nine Senators from some minority parties into ADC but strongly observed that one of the parties -APGA where Abaribe defected from, is not engulfed by any crisis or divisions, particularly at the national level.
“Abaribe’s defection, as clearly stated in section 68(1b and g) of the 1999 constitution as amended, is clearly against the provisions of the law and warrants you to do the needful as far as Abia South Senatorial seat is concerned,” he said.
“The section states: (1) A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if – (a) he becomes a member of another legislative house.
(b) any other circumstances arise that, if he were not a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives, would cause him to be disqualified for election as a member;
(g) If he/she defects from the political party that sponsored him for the election without the party having divisions.”
The Senate President of the Senate accordingly called on Abaribe to respond to observation made against his defection.
Abaribe in his response tacitly admitted that APGA is not divided, but disclosed that the party sacked him as a member since September 2025 and that since one must belong to a political party to be in the Senate, he decided to defect to ADC.
“Mr. Senate President, Distinguished Colleagues, I have the letter and the evidence of my sack by APGA,” he said.
Apparently dissatisfied with Abaribe’s response, the Leader of the Senate, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), said the purported sacking of Abaribe from APGA in September last year, is even enough ground for his seat to be declared vacant as stated in Section 68 (1b) of the 1999 constitution.
Contributing, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC Edo North) pointed out that APGA has no crisis and the Labour Party’s crisis has been resolved, saying that Abaribe’s defection was a breach of the Constitution, and urged the Senate to deal with the situation with all sincerity.
Consequently, the President of the Senate in his ruling, gave Abaribe one week to either withdraw his letter of defection or come with convincing reason.
Meanwhile, Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) defected to the Nigeria Democratic Party, NDC last week from PDP, and Senator Kamorudeen Oyewumi (Osun West) also left PDP for Accord party.
The gale of defections has made ADC to be the main opposition in the Senate now with 9 Senators, depleting PDP to 7, while APGA remains 1, NNPP 1, and NDC 1, which when added to 87 controlled by APC now, totals 106.
Three seats belonging to Nasarawa North, Enugu North and Rivers South East are vacant due to the deaths of Senators representing them.