A fresh wave of defections swept through the House of Representatives on Tuesday, with lawmakers crossing party lines in what appears like realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Affected parties include the All Progressives Congress, APC; the People's Democratic Party, PDP; the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Accord Party; and Labour Party.
At the resumption of plenary after the Easter break, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, read a series of defection letters on the floor of the House.
One of the prominent defections came from Lagos, where Thaddeus Attah, representing Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, left the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In his letter, Attah cited the protracted leadership crisis within the Labour Party as a key factor affecting his effectiveness as a lawmaker.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged as the biggest loser in the latest round, with five members defecting.
Among them, Abubakar Abdul (Niger) joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Yakubu Noma (Kebbi) moved to the ADC and Ibrahim Mohammed (Kebbi) defected to the APC.
In Osun State, Mudashiru Alani (Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa) and Adetunji Olusoji (Odo-Otin/Ifelodun/Boripe) also exited the PDP, joining the Accord Party.
The APC, however, was not spared, as it lost two members. David Fuoh (Taraba) defected to the PDP, while Bashir Zubair (Kaduna) joined the ADC.
Addressing concerns over the trend, Kalu dismissed suggestions that the defections point to a drift toward a one-party state.
He maintained that the movement of lawmakers across parties reflects the exercise of democratic freedom and political choice.
“This is to show that no party is stifled. People are leaving the majority party to the minority and vice versa. This is the beauty of democracy,” he said.
Since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in 2023, the APC has retained a numerical advantage in the House, though opposition parties continue to seek relevance through strategic defections and coalition-building as the next electoral cycle approaches.
