By Christiana Ekpa
The wave of defections in the House of Representatives continued on Wednesday, as six lawmakers from the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Peoples Democratic Party switched allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress and the African Democratic Congress.
The development followed Tuesday’s resumption of plenary, signalling a deepening realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At plenary presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, four members of the NNPP from Kano State defected to the ADC, citing persistent leadership crises within their former party.
Leading the group, the lawmaker representing Minjibir/Ungogo Federal Constituency, Adamu Wakili, said his decision was driven by internal divisions in the NNPP.
“I find it imperative to align with a platform that guarantees inclusion,” he said in his resignation letter read on the floor of the House.
Also defecting from the NNPP to the ADC were Umar Zakari, Umar Datti, and Abdulhakeem Ado, who attributed their exit to prolonged leadership tussles at both state and national levels.
In a separate development, the lawmaker representing Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, Ahmadu Kabiru, dumped the PDP for the APC, citing irreconcilable differences.
Kabiru said his move was informed by his desire to align with the “transformative policies” of the current administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Similarly, the member representing Ahiazu/Ezinihitte/Mbaise Federal Constituency of Imo State, Chinedu Martins, confirmed his defection from the PDP to the APC, noting that he had earlier joined the ruling party at his ward in March 2026.
Despite the defections, the APC maintains a commanding majority in the House with 282 members. The PDP trails with 30 seats, while the ADC now holds 24 seats.
Other parties include the Labour Party with 10 seats, the All Progressives Grand Alliance with five, and the Accord Party with four. The Action Peoples Party and the Social Democratic Party have two seats each, while the NNPP is left with a single seat.
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