Senate in Turmoil as Akpabio Threatens to Vacate Abaribe’s Seat Over Defection

A heated debate erupted in the Senate on Thursday after Senate President Godswill Akpabio threatened to declare the Abia South senatorial seat vacant following the defection of Enyinnaya Abaribe from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The tension followed the official defection of eight senators from minority parties to the ADC and one to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), sparking a constitutional debate over Section 68(1)(b) and (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The senators who joined the ADC are Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna Central), Mohammed Onawo (Nasarawa South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), Ireti Kingibe (FCT), and Abaribe. Meanwhile, Senator Seriake Dickson’s defection to the NDC was also formally announced.

While most defectors cited internal party crises within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party as justification, Abaribe’s letter did not reference any such issue within APGA, raising questions over the legality of his move.

Acting on Akpabio’s directive, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin invoked Order 20 of the Senate Standing Rules to challenge Abaribe’s defection. Jibrin told the chamber that APGA was not facing any known national crisis, making Abaribe’s defection seemingly contrary to constitutional provisions.

“Section 68(1)(b) and (g) of the 1999 Constitution provides that a lawmaker must vacate his seat if he defects from the party that sponsored his election, except in cases of party division or mergers,” Jibrin said.

Abaribe, in his defense, admitted that APGA was not divided but explained that he had been expelled from the party since September 2025. “Since one must belong to a political party to remain in the Senate, I had to join another platform,” he said.

However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele argued that Abaribe’s expulsion could itself trigger Section 68(1)(b), potentially complicating the matter further.

Akpabio ruled that the Senate would study the constitutional implications before taking a final decision and gave Abaribe one week to either withdraw his letter of defection or provide additional justification.

With the latest realignments, the ADC now leads the opposition in the Senate with nine senators, while the PDP’s representation has dropped to seven. The current Senate composition stands at 87 senators for the All Progressives Congress (APC), nine for the ADC, seven for the PDP, and one each for APGA, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and the NDC.

Three seats—Nasarawa North, Enugu North, and Rivers South East—remain vacant following the deaths of their occupants.