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Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday described the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as effectively dead, as a fresh wave of defections hit the National Assembly.
The remark came during plenary after the Senate formally announced that several lawmakers had left the ADC for other parties, including the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party. One of those affected was Senator Victor Umeh, who recently moved to the NDC, citing internal crises and leadership disputes within the ADC.
As the announcements continued on the floor, Akpabio cut in 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.
He also joked about the frequency of defections in the chamber, questioning how often lawmakers were changing parties.
“How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he added.
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Akpabio went further to suggest that defections should be submitted in batches rather than read individually 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.
During the sitting, he also referenced Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s past movements across political parties, noting his transitions from APGA to ADC and then to the Labour Party, as lawmakers reacted to the remarks.
The Senate proceedings reflect a wider political shift in the National Assembly, where more lawmakers have continued to move between parties, with at least 16 members of the House of Representatives also leaving the ADC for the NDC.
Many of the defecting lawmakers have blamed internal divisions and ongoing disputes within the ADC for their decision to exit the party.
