Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday reacted to the ongoing wave of defections in the National Assembly, joking that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was effectively “dead.”

Akpabio made the remark while presiding over plenary, shortly after the Senate formally announced the defection of several lawmakers to other parties, including the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party.

Among those who defected is Victor Umeh, who joined the NDC, citing internal crises and “unending litigation” within the ADC.

“Maybe all those defecting from ADC should just compile everything in one paper and bring, so that we don’t keep announcing, announcing, announcing.

 

Because I think ADC is dead,” Akpabio said, drawing reactions in the chamber.

Speaking further in a lighter tone, the Senate President questioned the frequency of defections by lawmakers.

“How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he said.

Akpabio suggested a more coordinated approach to handling defections, advising lawmakers to submit consolidated notices of their movements rather than making repeated individual announcements on the floor.

During the sitting, he also read a defection letter from Enyinnaya Abaribe, highlighting his movement across parties over the years.

“Note that Senator Abaribe has moved from APGA to ADC, and now he has moved from ADC to Labour Party,” he stated, adding humorously that such announcements may no longer be read individually in future.

The remarks come amid fresh political realignments in the National Assembly, with no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives reportedly defecting from the ADC to the NDC.

The affected lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, among others.

In his resignation letter, Umeh attributed his exit from the ADC to persistent leadership divisions and prolonged legal disputes within the party.

“I remain committed to making my contributions towards the development of our dear nation, but this time through the NDC,” he wrote.