The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has further consolidated its dominance in the Senate after increasing its membership to 88 lawmakers following the inauguration of four senators elected in the recent by-elections.
Findings revealed that despite the recent wave of defections triggered by grievances over the APC primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections, the party still maintains the majority in the 10th National Assembly.
The party won three additional senatorial seats in the June by-elections in Ondo, Enugu and Nasarawa states.
Four new lawmakers who were sworn-in by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on June 24, are: Ikeje Asogwa, of Enugu-North senatorial district, Dayo Faduyile, of Ondo-South senatorial district and Ɗanladi Envulu-Anza of Nasarawa-North senatorial district. Similarly, Olaka Nwogu, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Rivers South-East senatorial district, was also sworn-in.
The addition of the new lawmakers increased the number of APC senators from 85 to 88, leaving the opposition with significantly reduced numbers.
The increase comes barely one month after a series of defections from the ruling party by aggrieved aspirants and lawmakers who accused the APC leadership of candidate imposition, injustice and a lack of internal democracy during the party’s governorship and legislative primaries. They accused the APC leadership of injustice and undermining internal democracy during the conduct of the primaries.
Despite the high-profile defections, the APC has continued to expand its numerical advantage in the Senate through a combination of defections into the party and victories in by-elections.
At the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023, the APC controlled 59 seats. That figure has now risen to 88. In contrast, the PDP’s representation has shrunk dramatically from 36 senators at inauguration to just five. The Labour Party (LP), which began the current Assembly with eight senators, now has only one member, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has lost both of its original seats. Similarly, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) no longer has representation in the Senate after starting with two senators, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has retained its lone seat.
The ADC, which had no senator at the inauguration of the 10th Senate, now controls nine seats, while the Accord Party has one senator. The NDC, one of the country’s newest political parties established barely five months ago, has retained its sole senator through its National Leader and Bayelsa West lawmaker, Seriake Dickson.
With the inauguration of the four new senators, all 109 constitutionally prescribed seats in the Senate are now occupied.
