May 05, (THEWILL) — Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday stirred controversy in the upper chamber after declaring that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was “dead,” following a fresh wave of defections that hit the National Assembly.
The remarks came during plenary after the Senate formally announced that several lawmakers had dumped the ADC for other political parties, including the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party.
Among the latest defectors was Senator Victor Umeh, who recently left the ADC for the NDC, citing internal crises and leadership disputes within the party.
As the list of defections was read on the floor of the Senate, Akpabio interrupted proceedings with a blunt comment that immediately drew reactions from lawmakers.
“Maybe all those defecting from ADC should just compile everything in one paper and bring it, so that we don’t keep announcing, announcing, announcing. Because I think ADC is dead,” he said.
The Senate President also questioned the increasing frequency of party-switching among legislators, describing the trend as unusual.
“How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he added.
Akpabio further suggested a more coordinated approach to handling defections in the chamber, proposing that lawmakers submit their movements in batches rather than being individually announced during plenary.
“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 said.
The Senate President also referenced past political movements of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, noting his transitions across APGA, ADC, and the Labour Party, as the chamber reacted to the remarks.
The latest developments highlight an ongoing wave of political realignments within the National Assembly, where party loyalties continue to shift ahead of future political alignments.
In the House of Representatives, reports indicate that at least 17 lawmakers have also left the ADC for the NDC, further deepening concerns over the stability of the opposition party.
Many of the defecting lawmakers have attributed their decisions to internal divisions, leadership struggles, and unresolved disputes within the ADC, which they say have weakened cohesion and trust in the party structure.
THEWILL reports that the senators who effected the change include Victor Umeh, who moved from the ADC to the NDC; Rufai Hanga, who left the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the NDC; and Enyinnaya Abaribe, who also exited the ADC shortly after joining the party a few weeks ago.
At the Green chamber, the lawmakers who moved en bloc from the ADC to the NDC include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lillian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande, Munachim Umezuruike, Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, and Abdulhakeem Ado.
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