President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken a swipe at the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), while urging more politicians to align with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Thursday at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC in Abuja, Tinubu encouraged opposition members to defect, describing their current platforms as unstable and chaotic.
“It’s not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and stay away from a coalition of confusion,” Tinubu remarked, in a thinly veiled reference to the PDP and ADC.
He also welcomed the recent defections of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom State Governor Eno Umo, both of whom left the PDP to join the APC. With their move, the APC now controls 23 out of the country’s 36 state governorships.
The president urged APC members to be receptive to new entrants from rival parties. “With the space we’ve created for aspiring individuals to join us, our doors remain open. We should embrace them wholeheartedly,” Tinubu added.
The APC’s growing influence was further underscored in the Senate on Wednesday, as four senators—Sampson Ekong (Akwa Ibom South), Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East), Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), and Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central)—announced their defection to the ruling party. This brings the APC’s strength in the 109-member Senate to 70, just two seats short of a two-thirds majority.
In contrast, the PDP now holds 28 Senate seats, while the Labour Party has five. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) controls two seats, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) hold one seat each. Two Senate seats remain vacant.
In the House of Representatives, the APC’s numbers also rose following the defection of three PDP lawmakers on Wednesday—Taofeek Ajilesoro and Omirin Emmanuel Olusanya from Osun State, and Marcus Onobun from Edo State. Their move followed that of Mark Esset from Akwa Ibom on Tuesday. These defections bring the APC’s total to 224 seats in the 360-member chamber.
The PDP now holds 86 seats, while the Labour Party has 26. NNPP controls 16 seats, APGA has six, SDP holds two, and ADC retains one seat. Five seats in the House remain vacant, following the deaths of four members and the resignation of one.
