No fewer than nine senators from various political parties on Thursday formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a development that has further altered the political balance within the Senate.Election Coverage Service

Among the lawmakers who announced their move to the party are Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), Lawal Usman (Kaduna Central), Ogoshi Onawo (Nasarawa South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), and Ireti Kingibe (Federal Capital Territory).

Their defection letters were read during Thursday’s plenary session by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In his letter, Nwoye attributed his decision to internal crises within the Labour Party.

“I wish to tender my resignation amid the ongoing multiple litigations within the Labour Party, which have significantly affected the cohesion and stability of the party.

“Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest esteem and regards,” Nwoye’s defection read.

Following the reading of the letters, Akpabio welcomed the senators to their new political platform while rejecting claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was behind the wave of defections.

He said, “Deputy Senate President and Leader of the Senate, I hope you noticed that I have read (defections) from three different political parties now. So, you cannot accuse the ruling party of tampering with its leadership. Here, we have APGA, Labour, SDP, and all of them.

“So, all of them have a problem. They’ve not been able to put their parties together. So, the APC cannot be blamed for this.

“They are all out to ensure that we have what you call a minority status in this chamber, and I am very proud of them.”

The latest round of defections highlights the ongoing political realignments in the 10th Senate, where shifts in party allegiance have continued amid internal disputes within several opposition parties.Election Coverage Service

Despite the movement, the APC still maintains a commanding majority with 87 senators, while the Peoples Democratic Party’s strength has reduced to seven members.

With the influx of new members, the ADC now also has seven senators, positioning it as a key minority bloc in the chamber.

Other minority parties, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), each have one senator, bringing the total number of senators to 106

The Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party no longer have representation in the Senate following the latest defections.