The ruling All Progressives Congress has consolidated its majority in the Senate following the defection of two senators from Rivers State, formerly of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Senators Barinada Mpigi and Onyesoh Alwell officially crossed over to the APC on Monday, citing internal factionalism and crises within the PDP at the national level as their primary reasons for leaving.
Their defection letters were read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, formally reducing the PDP’s Senate strength from 26 to 24 seats and increasing the APC’s tally from 76 to 78.
Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who welcomed the new members alongside APC national executives, emphasized that the move was voluntary and reflected the growing appeal of the ruling party.
“Our democracy is growing. APC is exercising its constitutional obligation to open its doors to all. Nobody is joining APC under any form of coercion,” Bamidele stated.
Senate President Akpabio acknowledged the development and advised the APC to uphold internal democracy to avoid the pitfalls that have historically affected minority parties.
With this realignment, the Senate composition now stands at 78 APC, 24 PDP, 4 Labour Party, 2 APGA, 1 NNPP, and 1 SDP senator.
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This report is based on official proceedings in the Nigerian Senate. Political alignments are dynamic. CDA News Nigeria is an independent digital news platform.
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