ADC Now Main Opposition Party In The Senate With Nine Members, As PDP Senators Reduce To Seven

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, is now the main opposition party in the Senate with nine members as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators have reduced to seven.

Also, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, now has 87 our of 103 senators even as All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, New Nigeria People's Party, NNPP and NDC am

have one member each.

The Senate plenary on Thursday, witnessed a dramatic session as nine senators announced their defection from various political parties to the ADC, with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s move, triggering a constitutional debate on the floor of the chamber.

The defecting lawmakers and their former political parties are Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, PDP – Sokoto South; Enyinnaya Abaribe -APGA, Abia South; Binos Dauda Yaroe -PDP, Adamawa South; Victor Umeh- LP – Anambra Central; ,Tony Nwoye -LP – Anambra North; Lawal Adamu Usman- PDP, Kaduna Central; Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, PDP – Nasarawa South; Augustine Akobundu, PDP – Abia Central; and Ireti Kingibe, LP – FCT.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letters of defection during plenary after the Senate suspended its rules to allow the late submission of the documents, reports.

Tambuwal, had in his letter announcing his exit from the PDP blamed persistent crises within the opposition party.

According to him, “The persistent internal crisis, leadership disagreements, litigations, and divisions within the party at various levels have made it increasingly difficult for me to continue my active participation and commitment as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. The ongoing conflicts have unfortunately weakened the unity and cohesion that once defined the party.”

Also, Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe, who also left the PDP, said his decision was informed by the need to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic system.

Yaroe's words, “The decision to align with the ADC was informed by my resolve to join hands with other patriotic Nigerians to assure the nation and the international community that Nigeria is still a multi-party democracy and that our country cannot be turned into a one-party system.”

Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory, said her decision to resign from the Labour Party was prompted by unresolved internal disputes within the party.

She stated: “This decision has become inevitable due to the protracted and seemingly irreconcilable fractionalisation and internal leadership crisis within the Labour Party.”

Reacting, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the Senate would examine the letters carefully to determine whether the constitutional requirements had been met.

“You notice that I have read letters from three different political parties. So you cannot accuse the ruling party of tampering with its leadership because here you have APGA, the Labour Party, and the PDP. All of them appear to have internal problems,” he added.