March 12, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian Senate on Thursday gave Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia South, one week to either withdraw his letter of defection or provide further justification for his move from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The directive followed a heated debate in the upper chamber after Abaribe’s defection, which came alongside the official move of eight other senators from minority parties to the ADC and one to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The development has raised questions over the application of Section 68 (1)(b) and (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) regarding lawmakers who defect from their sponsoring political parties.
Those who joined the ADC include Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna Central), Mohammed Onawo (Nasarawa South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), Ireti Kingibe (FCT) and Abaribe. Senator Seriake Dickson also formally notified the Senate of his defection from the PDP to the NDC.
While most defectors cited internal crises within their former parties as justification, Abaribe’s letter did not indicate any problem within APGA, prompting questions about the legality of his action.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, acting on the instructions of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, noted that APGA was not known to be facing any national-level division.
“Abaribe’s defection…is against the provisions of the law and warrants you to do the needful as far as the Abia South senatorial seat is concerned,” Jibrin told the chamber.
In response, Abaribe explained that he had been expelled from APGA since September 2025, leaving him without a political platform until his decision to join the ADC. “Since one must belong to a political party to be in the Senate, I had to join another platform,” he said.
However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele argued that Abaribe’s expulsion could itself trigger constitutional provisions requiring him to vacate his seat, adding complexity to the matter.
Senate President Akpabio subsequently ruled that the chamber would study the constitutional implications before taking a final decision, giving Abaribe one week to respond.
The latest realignments have shifted the balance of power in the Senate.
The ADC now has nine senators, emerging as the largest opposition party, while the PDP has been reduced to seven.
The Senate’s composition currently stands at 87 for the All Progressives Congress (APC), nine for the ADC, seven for the PDP, and one each for APGA, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and the NDC.
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