The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strengthened its dominance in the Senate, now holding 72 of the 109 seats, following the defection of Senator Ahmed Wadada of Nasarawa West from the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The development further diminishes the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been reduced to 28 senators.
The Labour Party retains five seats, the All Progressives Grand Alliance two, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the SDP hold one each.
Wadada, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, had left the APC in 2022 to pursue his senatorial ambition on the SDP platform, through which he won the 2023 elections.
In a letter dated September 2 and addressed to his ward chairman in Tudun Kofa, he announced his return to the APC, citing the desire to contribute to the party’s growth and success.
His move followed wave of defections in recent months that have steadily weakened the PDP’s presence in the chamber.
In July, four senators, Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), Oluwole Olubiyi (Osun Central), Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East), and Samson Ekong (Akwa Ibom South), crossed to the APC, blaming internal crises and political realignments in their states.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read their resignation letters at plenary, with the defectors citing fractured party structures and shifting political alliances.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele described the trend as the beginning of broader realignments, saying, “This cannot be the end, more are coming.”