By Emma Ombugadu, Abuja
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday stirred debate in the chamber after declaring the African Democratic Congress (ADC) “dead,” following a fresh wave of defections by lawmakers to rival parties.
Akpabio made the remark during plenary shortly after the Senate announced a series of defections, including that of Victor Umeh, who joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), citing internal crises and “unending litigation” within 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 across the chamber.
Maintaining a light tone, the Senate President also mocked the frequency of party-switching among lawmakers.
“How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he laughed.
He proposed a more coordinated approach to announcing defections, suggesting that lawmakers submit consolidated lists instead of individual declarations.
“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 session, Akpabio also read a defection letter from Enyinnaya Abaribe, highlighting his recent movements across political platforms.
“Note that Senator Abaribe has moved from APGA to ADC, and now he has moved from ADC to Labour Party,” he said, before joking that future announcements might no longer be read individually.
The remarks come amid a broader political realignment within the National Assembly, where at least 16 members of the House of Representatives have also defected from the ADC to the NDC.
Among those who switched allegiance in the Green Chamber are Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, and Lilian Orogbu, among others.
In his resignation letter, Umeh pointed to deepening internal strife within the ADC as the reason for his exit.
“I remain committed to making my contributions towards the development of our dear nation, but this time through the NDC,” he wrote.
