APC CONSOLIDATES POWER AS MORE LAWMAKERS DEFECT FROM OPPOSITION PARTIES

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has expanded its legislative dominance as more defections continue to hit opposition parties in the 10th National Assembly. With several high-profile lawmakers switching allegiance, the APC now holds at least 68 Senate seats and 207 in the House of Representatives.
Senator Neda Imasuen of the Labour Party, representing Edo South, is expected to formally join the APC on June 12, raising the party’s Senate count to 69. If Senator Ahmed Wadada of Nasarawa West — who recently left the Social Democratic Party (SDP) — confirms speculation about his move to the APC, the party could soon boast 70 senators.
At the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in June 2023, APC had 59 senators. That number has steadily grown, especially in recent months. High-profile defections include Senator Ibrahim Danbaba (PDP, Sokoto South), Senator Ned Nwoko (PDP, Delta North), Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi (Labour, Imo East), SenatorAdamu Aliero(NNPP, Kano South), and three senators from Kebbi State — Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki — who defected from the PDP after meeting with President Tinubu at the Villa.
In the House of Representatives, where opposition parties initially had a near-equal or superior number of seats, the PDP has seen significant erosion of its ranks. APC now enjoys a commanding lead, as defections from the Labour Party, NNPP, SDP, and YPP continue to realign the parliamentary landscape.
Observers believe more defections could follow, especially in the wake of Governor Umo Eno’s recent defection from the PDP in Akwa Ibom State. Lawmakers from the state — currently dominated by PDP — are reportedly under pressure to follow their governor’s lead.
The growing strength of the APC in both chambers raises questions about the future of multiparty balance in Nigeria’s legislature and what it means for oversight, bipartisan lawmaking, and political competition.