The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday announced the defection of three senators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers are Amos Yohanna representing Adamawa North, Aminu Iya Abbas representing Adamawa Central, and Ikra Aliyu Bilbis representing Zamfara Central.
Their letters of defection were read during plenary by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
The senators attributed their decision to persistent internal crises within the PDP in their respective states, which they said made it difficult for them to remain in the opposition party.
Following the latest defections, the number of APC senators has risen to 83, while the PDP’s representation has dropped to 19.
Other parties are represented as follows: the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has one senator, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) also has one, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has four, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has one. The Labour Party currently has no senator in the chamber.
Reacting to the development, Akpabio described the wave of defections as a sign that the country is moving in the right direction. He recalled that during the 8th Assembly, the Senate lost 34 APC members to the PDP but noted that the trend has now reversed.
The Senate President said the PDP had effectively “emptied itself” into the ruling party, adding that he agreed with the Senate Leader that “something must be right somewhere.”
Akpabio attributed the defections to the economic reforms introduced by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the harmonisation of foreign exchange rates, the removal of fuel subsidy, and fiscal management measures aimed at stabilising the economy.
According to him, the reforms have reduced the need for state governments to rely heavily on borrowing while placing Nigeria on what he described as a trajectory of economic growth.
