By Henry Umoru, Assistant Poitics Editor 

THE event of Thursday,  12th March may have come and gone, but it will not be forgotten in a jiffy. A day nine serving Senators in the 10th Senate dumped their political parties  for the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

The day for the plenary at the hallowed Chamber started like every other legislative days, but the atmosphere became dramatic and charged when the President of the Senate,  Senator Godswill Akpabio started reading the letters of defection one after the day. 

The defection of the Senators was after months of permutations, intrigues,  political manouevering, brainstorming and series of meetings, both day and nocturnal.

Those who declared for the party were  Senators Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto South; Enyinnaya Abaribe, Abia South; 

Binos Yaroe, Adamawa South; Victor Umeh, Anambra Central; Tony Nwoye, Anambra North; Lawal Usman, Kaduna Central; Ogoshi Onawo, Nasarawa South;  Austin Akobundu, Abia Central and Ireti Kingibe, Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

With this, Abaribe, Tambuwal and others have formally joined the party led by the former  President of the Senate,  Senator David Mark, with gladiators like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party,  LP, Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor,  Rotimi Amaechi, among others to give the 2027 Presidential election colouration and virile opposition. 

2027 presidential election is also playing out in this case  as the opposition,  especially the ADC members are grouping with plans to unseat President Bola Tinubu in his second term bid. 

Also Senator Seriake Dickson,  Bayelsa West on the floor announced his movement not to the ADC, but to the new Nigeria Democratic Congress,  NDC where he is the founder and National Leader.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Senator  Kamarudeen Olalere, Osun West also announced his departure from the PDP to Accord Party.

The gale of defections has made ADC to be the main opposition in the Senate now  with 9 Senators, depleting PDP to 6, while APGA remains 1, NNPP 1, NDC 1 and Accord 1 which when added to 87 Senators controlled by  APC now , totals 106 . 

Three seats I,e. Nasarawa North,  Enugu North and Rivers South East are vacant due deaths of the affected Senators.

In his letter of defection,  Tambuwal who attributed his decision to persistent internal conflicts within the party,  said, “The persistent internal crisis, leadership disagreements, litigations and divisions within the party at various levels have made it increasingly difficult for me to continue my active participation and commitment as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. The ongoing conflicts have unfortunately weakened the unity and cohesion that once defined the party.”

Similarly, Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe, who also dumped the PDP, said his decision was driven by the need to preserve Nigeria’s democratic system, adding, “The decision to align with the African Democratic Congress was informed by my resolve to join hands with other patriotic Nigerians to assure the nation and the international community that Nigeria is still a multi-party democracy and that our country cannot be turned into a one-party system.”

On her part, Senator Ireti Kingibe who explained that her resignation from the Labour Party followed deep internal crises within the party, said, “This decision has become inevitable due to the protracted and seemingly irreconcilable fractionalisation and internal leadership crisis within the Labour Party.”

Umeh’s letter read, “I wish to formally notify you and the entire Senate, through this medium, of my resignation from the Labour Party (LP) and my defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“I am taking this necessary decision after wide consultations with my family, constituents and supporters, in view of the lingering divisions in the leadership and the unending litigations pervading the entirety of the Labour Party in Nigeria”.

Tony Nwoye’s letter: “I formally notify you of my resignation from the Labour Party and my intention to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“This decision has become necessary due to the persistent internal divisions and the ongoing multiple litigations within the Labour Party, which have significantly affected the cohesion and stability of the party”.

Usman’s letter: “I write to formally notify you of my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the political party under whose platform I was elected as a senator into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“After careful reflection, it has become evident that the prolonged and irreconcilable divisions within the national leadership structure of the party have created deep-seated factional conflicts.

“That have significantly undermined party cohesion, stability and functionality.

“In the circumstances, and pursuant to Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended)…

“Which provides that a member of the National Assembly shall not lose their seat where their membership of the political party that sponsored their election is terminated.

“As a result of a division within that political party, I hereby formally resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party”.

Onawo’s letter read,  “I write to formally notify you and the entire distinguished Senate of my decision to defect from the PDP to ADC with immediate effect.

“This decision was reached after careful reflection and consultation with my constituents and supporters”.

Akobundu’s letter read: “I wish to formally notify you and the entire Senate through this medium of my defection from PDP to the ADC).

“This step is necessary in order to deepen democracy and ensure that it not only survives but also thrives”.

With this development having the APC control the majority,  what does it portend of the nation’s politics, is it a gradual movement to a one Party state, will be a situation in the Senate when the minority will have the say and majority having the voice, how far can the opposition shout and cry out when sensitive decisions to be voted on come up? 

Now that the  Senate has more than 2/3rd majority belonging to APC, does it mean that  the party can achieve anything it wants in the legislature?

This development on Thursday has reduced the hitherto leading opposition in the Senate which is PDP to the second position,  with the ADC taking over as the leading opposition party. 

The irony part of the present scenario is that when the National Assembly was  inaugurated 12th June, 2023, the gap between the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and that of the opposition political parties put together in the Senate was not much.

Prior to the inauguration and even when the time Senator- elect then, Senator Godswill Akpabio, APC, Akwa Ibom North-West finally became the President of the Senate, the ruling party was not close to having majority voice in the Upper Chamber if votes are to be conducted on sensitive national issues, using electronic voting system. The party never had the required two-thirds majority needed in Parliament to conclude in some legislations. 

When the 10th Senate came on board, at that time, it had members from the APC;  the   PDP;  LP; the All Progressive Grand Alliance,  APGA; the New Nigeria Peoples Party,  NNPP,  the Young Progressives Party, YPP and the Social Democratic Party, SDP. 

In June 2023, the ruling APC had 59 Senators, while the six opposition parties put together had 50. The breakdown then was APC 59; PDP  36; LP 8; NNPP 2; SDP 2 an YPP 1. 

Some months later into the life of the 10th Senate,  the number of APC and LP  came down and that of PDP increased by two, making it 38 members for the PDP.

The increase in number of the PDP and reduction in number for the ruling APC and LP was sequel to the nullification of  the election of Senator Abubakar Ohere of the APC,  Kogi Central in October 2023 by the Court of Appeal and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the PDP was sworn in 2nd November,  2023 to replace Ohere.

Similarly, the Court of Appeal sacked Senator 

Darlington Nwokocha of the LP  of Abia Central and Austin Akobundu of the PDP was sworn in 15th November, 2023 to replace Nwokocha. 

In October, 2023, the number of APC Senators increased by one when the only YPP lawmaker in the Upper Chamber,  late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Anambra  South dumped  the YPP for the APC and that led to the death of YPP in the Senate.

With Thursday’s drama, the PDP has lost control of the minority leadership in the Senate with Senator Abba Moro,  PDP, Benue State as the Minority Leader, thereby leaving that for the ADC as that will lead to change of leadership in the minority caucus. 

Moro may keep his job if he decides at the end of the day to join former President of the Senate,  Senator Mark, his leader and one who contributed immensely to his qs political growth. 

As events unfold in the Senate,  the road to final dislodgment of PDP in the control of the minority is already here, with the ADC ready to take over the  mantle of leadership. 

For the ADC to take over a the Minority Leader, it has in its fold, very ranking Senators like Abaribe,  Tambuwal and Umeh, just as it has a former Minority åeader in the person of Abaribe.  

We wait as events unfold. 

The post How ADC dislodged PDP to emerge the main opposition in Senate appeared first on Vanguard News.