The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has emerged as the main opposition party in the Nigerian Senate following the defection of nine senators on Thursday.
With the shift, ADC’s representation in the Senate rose to nine, surpassing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which now holds six seats.
Of the nine defectors, five left the PDP, three moved from the Labour Party (LP), and one resigned from the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
The senators who left the PDP include Dauda Yaroe, Lawal Usman, Ogochi Onawe, Aminu Tambuwal, and Austin Akubondu. The LP defectors are Ireti Kingibe, Victor Umeh, and Tony Nwoye, while Eyinnaya Abaribe left APGA after being sacked from the party in September 2025.
Eight of the defectors cited leadership crises in their former parties as the reason for leaving.
Following the defections, the composition of the Senate now stands at: All Progressive Party (APC) 87 senators, ADC 9, PDP 6, Accord 1, APGA 1, NDC 1, and NNPP 1.
Three seats—Nasarawa North, Enugu North, and Rivers South East—remain vacant following the deaths of the previous occupants.