The Nigerian Senate witnessed a significant political realignment on July 23, 2025, as four senators from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), increasing the party’s majority to 72 seats in the 10th Senate.
The defectors, announced during a plenary session presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, include Senator Sampson Ekong (Akwa Ibom South), Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East), Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), and Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central). Their defection letters, citing internal crises within the PDP, were read aloud, marking a notable shift from the 50 seats the APC held when the current assembly began in June 2023.
The move elevates the APC’s dominance in the 109-seat chamber, reducing the PDP’s representation to 26 seats, with the remaining seats distributed among smaller parties and two vacancies. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele hailed the defections as a reflection of democratic choice, emphasizing the APC’s commitment to national development under the “renewed hope agenda” of President Bola Tinubu.
However, the PDP has contested the defections’ legality, arguing that they violate Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires a national crisis to justify such moves, a claim the APC dismisses as a delaying tactic. Observers note that this shift strengthens the APC’s legislative leverage, bringing it within one seat of the two-thirds majority (73 seats) needed to override presidential vetoes or amend the constitution, though the timing, amid preparations for the 2027 elections, raises questions about political opportunism versus genuine ideological alignment.