…Nwoye emerges Senate Minority Whip
A fresh wave of defections has swept through Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly, with six members of the House of Representatives switching party allegiance, while the Senate minority caucus announced a new Minority Whip following similar developments.
At the House of Representatives, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read resignation letters from six lawmakers during yesterday’s plenary, confirming their exit from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to either the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Four lawmakers from Kano State—Adamu Wakili (Minjibir/Ungogo), Umar Zakari, Umar Datti, and Abdulhakeem Ado—announced their defection from the NNPP to the ADC. They cited persistent leadership crises and internal divisions within the NNPP as the primary reason for their decision.
Wakili, in his letter, noted that the situation within the party made it necessary for him to align with a more inclusive platform, adding that the ADC offered such an opportunity.
Similarly, Ahmadu Kabiru, representing Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency in Zamfara State, resigned from the PDP over what he described as “irreconcilable differences” and subsequently joined the APC. He expressed his intention to support the “transformative policies” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
In Imo State, Chinedu Martins, representing Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency, also defected from the PDP to the APC, revealing that he had already formalised his membership at the ward level in March.
The latest defections further consolidate the APC’s dominance in the House, where it now holds 282 seats. The PDP trails with 30 seats, followed by the ADC with 24, while other parties maintain smaller representations.
Meanwhile, in the 10th Senate, the ripple effects of defections also reshaped the minority leadership as Senator Tony Nwoye emerged as the new Minority Whip. Nwoye, who represents Anambra-North Senatorial District, was unanimously selected by the minority caucus after the defection of his predecessor, Senator Osita Ngwu, from the PDP to the APC.
In a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ngwu explained that his decision was driven by a desire to align with Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and President Tinubu, describing the APC as the most stable political platform in the country.
Nwoye himself had previously been elected to the Senate under the Labour Party (LP) in 2023 before defecting to the ADC in late 2025.
