Three more senators under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday.
They were Amos Yunana (Adamawa North); Aminu Iya Abbas (Adamawa-Central); and Ikra Aliyu Bilbis (Zamfara-Central).
The latest development now leaves the PDP with about 14 members in the Senate, down from 35 at the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023.
Their defection, which came just 24 hours after Senator Banigo Ipalibo (Rivers West) also joined APC, has reduced PDP’s membership in the Senate from 17 to 14 and increased APC’s representation from 81 to 84.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, while reading their defection letters, mocked the opposition and celebrated the APC.
“What is happening now between PDP and APC Senators is more of a 1-1 draw.
“In 2018, about 30 senators defected from APC to PDP in one day. Now, it’s the other way round, with PDP senators defecting en masse to APC, thanks to the good governance and bold reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, also welcomed the defectors, saying that it was proof of the popularity of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He noted, “The defectors are not daft; they have seen that something is working in the country for the good of all, and they want to be part of it.”
The latest defections came soon after the governors of Adamawa (Ahmadu Fintiri) and Zamfara (Dauda Lawal) states defected to the APC.
The PDP’s losses have been largely blamed on its lingering leadership crisis and realignment for 2027 polls.