THE Senate on Wednesday formally received four lawmakers who have defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), further strengthening the party’s hold on the upper chamber.
The defectors include: Senator Ekong Samson (Akwa Ibom South), Senator Etim Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East), Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), and Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central).
The Senate subsequently relaxed its rules to allow the presence of some high-profile APC officials, including the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru; Chairman of the APC in Osun State, Tajudeen Lawal; members of the House of Representatives, and former Minister, Chris Ngige, who were in the chamber to witness the wave of defections.
With this latest shift, the APC now commands 72 seats in the 10th Senate, up from the 50 seats it held at the commencement of the current Assembly in June 2023.
Meanwhile, PDP’s numbers have dropped to 26, following a series of defections from not only its ranks but also from the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, described the defections as a demonstration of democratic principles in action.
“For us, it is not just about the numbers. We have a serious job ahead to ensure that members and stakeholders remain committed to the ideals of our party.
We are doing everything possible to move Nigeria to the next level, and we do not take this momentum for granted,” Bamidele said.
