~APC now 89; ADC, 9; PDP 4; NDC 1; Accord Party 1, NNPP 1, totally 105, 4 vacant seats
The Senate has announced Senator Tony Nwoye, ADC, Anambra North, as the new Minority Whip following the defection of former minority whip, Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West), from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, had earlier on Wednesday read letters of defection from Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro, Gombe South and Senator Osita Ngwu, Enugu West, who both dumped the PDP for the APC.
Vanguard gathered that Senator Nwoye’s emergence as Minority Whip follows his nomination by 95% of senators from the Minority Caucus after the former Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, defected to the APC.
Akpabio also read a defection letter from the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, Nasarawa West, who left the Social Democratic Party, SDP, for the APC.
In his letter, Senator Ngwu cited protracted crisis rocking PDP at the National Assembly and the need to key into the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu as reasons for defecting to the APC.
Similar reasons were also cited by Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro for dumping PDP for APC in his letter also read by Akpabio.
On his part, Senator Wadada stated in his own letter that he had, since August 2025, dumped SDP for APC in his ward, Nasarawa West, which according to him, was just being made official in the Senate.
Reacting to the developments, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, APC, Edo North, who commended the lawmakers, described their defections as voluntary and consistent with constitutional provisions.
He said that the increasing movement of legislators into the APC reflects growing confidence in the party’s leadership and the administration of President Tinubu
The latest wave of defections in the Senate has now made the configuration of senators across party lines to be APC 89, African Democratic Congress (ADC) 9, PDP 4, National Democratic Congress (NDC) 1 and Accord Party 1, NNPP 1, totalling 105 out of the 109 seats.
The remaining four vacant seats arose from the death of three Senators whose seats are yet to be filled. The three seats are still vacant following the death of Senators Okechukwu Ezea, Enugu North; Godiya Akwaashiki, Nasarawa North and Barinada Mpigi, Rivers South East.
The other one is the Ondo South Senatorial seat which became vacant following the appointment of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
(Vanguard News)
