Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday joked that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) had become “dead” following a fresh wave of defections by lawmakers to other political parties.
His comment came during plenary after the Senate formally announced the defection of several legislators, including Senator Victor Umeh, who moved to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party, citing internal crises and ongoing legal disputes 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, prompting reactions in the chamber.
He also questioned the frequency of political defections among lawmakers.
“How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he said, laughing.
Akpabio suggested that defections should be submitted in batches rather than announced individually on the Senate floor.
“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, the Senate President also read out a defection letter from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, noting his movement across parties over time.
“Note that Senator Abaribe has moved from APGA to ADC, and now he has moved from ADC to Labour Party,” he said, adding humorously that future defections would no longer be announced one by one.
The remarks come amid renewed political realignments in the National Assembly, where at least 16 members of the House of Representatives have also left the ADC for the NDC.
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The lawmakers who defected include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, and Lilian Orogbu, among others.
In his resignation letter, Senator Umeh cited “lingering divisions in the leadership and unending litigation” within the ADC, saying the situation made his continued membership difficult.
“I remain committed to making my contributions towards the development of our dear nation, but this time through the NDC,” he stated.