In a major realignment on Nigeria’s political scene, three senators from Kebbi State and six members of the House of Representatives from Delta State have officially defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers announced their defection after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The three senators from Kebbi who joined the APC are Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Senator Aminu Bande (Kebbi South). All were elected on the platform of the PDP.
Also defecting to the APC are six House of Representatives members from Delta State, who were received alongside their Kebbi counterparts at the Villa. The names of the representatives were not immediately made public, but Presidency sources confirmed that they are influential grassroots mobilizers from Delta PDP.
Presidency officials said the defection is part of ongoing efforts by the APC to consolidate its hold on power and strengthen its national spread ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking briefly after the meeting, the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, expressed delight at the defection, noting that the move was a “clear indication that President Tinubu’s leadership style and policy direction are gaining acceptance across party lines.”
Ganduje added that the APC was open to more defectors who are willing to join the government in its Renewed Hope Agenda.
Political analysts believed the defection, especially of the three senators, may shift the balance of power in the Senate and weaken the PDP’s influence in the North-West and South-South regions.
An official defection ceremony is expected to be held soon at the National Assembly, where the lawmakers will formally notify their respective chambers of their new party affiliation.
This latest development comes amid growing speculations that more opposition lawmakers may switch camps in the coming weeks.
