THE Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has clarified widespread reports suggesting she has formally dumped the Labour Party (LP) for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying she is yet to to officially join the ADC but it’s definitely soon.
Earlier reports, including one by News Point Nigeria, had indicated that Kingibe had officially defected to the ADC ahead of the 2027 general election, positioning herself within a broader political realignment already gaining momentum nationwide.
In what appeared to be a political bombshell, the senator was quoted as confirming her commitment to the ADC, describing the decision as both “deliberate” and “strategic,” and promising a public declaration that would be marked by what she called “noise and fanfare.”
“I’m totally and completely committed to ADC,” Kingibe reportedly said during a chat with journalists in Abuja. “But obviously, as the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, don’t expect me to just take a lunch break and go and collect a party card. I want to do so with noise and fanfare.”
Speaking about the ADC’s political structure and potential as an alternative force, Kingibe likened the party to a child still in its early developmental stages. “You cannot say while your child is still crawling that you’re unhappy with how he’s going to run. You wait. We are growing,” she noted.
However, in a subsequent phone conversation with News Point Nigeria, Senator Kingibe clarified that no formal defection had yet taken place – but it will definitely happen soon.
“You people have even forgotten that I am suspended from the Labour Party,” she said. “But I am still a member. I haven’t left the party yet but it’s definitely soon.”
Challenging media interpretations of her earlier interview, Kingibe advised the public and journalists to revisit the original broadcast on AIT for clarity.
“Watch the interview again, it’s on AIT. I said I will leave soon with some other bigwigs of the party but for now it’s not official,” she explained.
“It’s like telling someone that I am pregnant and they go to write that I have given birth to twins.”
Kingibe insisted that an eventual move to the ADC is definite, especially in light of the ongoing leadership and factional crisis within the Labour Party.
But she emphasized that no specific date had been set for such a political transition.
“We will definitely join the ADC because the division crisis in the Labour Party permits that, but we want to make it big, and there is no date yet for that,” she concluded.
The clarification from the senator highlights the fluid and evolving nature of political affiliations in the build-up to the 2027 elections, especially within opposition circles attempting to position themselves as credible challengers to the ruling party.
