By George OPARA
There was dramatic political theatre at the Senate plenary on Tuesday as Senate President Godswill Akpabio openly mocked the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following the mass defection of its members to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
The development comes just months after the ADC coalition boasted of wrestling power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Akpabio, visibly excited, made a deriding remark while presiding over the upper legislative chamber. As lawmakers from the ADC began party-hopping to the NDC in quick succession, the Senate President declared that the mass exodus was “an indication the party is dying.”
His comment immediately sparked laughter across the chamber.
The Senate President’s jibe came as he read the defection letter of several ADC members. Among the first was a letter from Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, who announced his defection from the ADC to the Labour Party.
Rather than entertain repeated defection notices, Akpabio instructed all lawmakers planning to leave the ADC to submit a single, consolidated letter to avoid what he called an unnecessary “going over the process” repeatedly.
It was his direct reference to Abaribe, however, that drew the loudest laughter. Turning to the seasoned lawmaker, Akpabio said, “Senator, I should be asking you, ‘How many times have you defected in a month?'”
Spear News recalls that Tuesday’s sitting marked a fresh round of political realignments, with no fewer than 17 lawmakers defecting from the ADC to the NDC alone. Several others are also said to be considering their options, signaling further turbulence for the embattled ADC ahead of the 2027 polls.
As of the time of this report, the ADC leadership had not issued an official response to the defections or to Akpabio’s remarks.
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