The lawmaker representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Benson Agadaga, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His defection comes barely a week after Senator Konbowei Friday Benson, representing Bayelsa Central, also dumped the PDP for the ruling APC, signalling what appears to be a growing wave of political realignments in the state.
In a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, and read on the floor of the Senate, Senator Agadaga who chairs the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Host Communities attributed his decision to “deep-seated internal wranglings” within the PDP at both the national and state levels.
While acknowledging the pivotal role the PDP has played in shaping his political career, Agadaga said his exit had become “inevitable,” as the once-dominant party has become a shadow of its former self.
Quoting scripture, the senator remarked:
“The saying goes that change is the only permanent thing in life. Indeed, as the Holy Scriptures remind us, ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.’ I believe that the time for change in my political sojourn has come.”
Recounting his long association with the PDP, Agadaga recalled his public service journey beginning in 2003 when he voluntarily retired as a Permanent Secretary to serve as Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism under the administration of Governor D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha.
He went on to serve as Executive Chairman of the Bayelsa State Universal Basic Education Board during Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure as governor, Special Adviser on Establishment Affairs under Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, and later as Chief of Staff to Governor Douye Diri during the first term of his administration.
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Expressing gratitude to the PDP for the platform it provided him, Agadaga stated: “The fact that I stand today as a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is due to the benevolence of the PDP and the goodwill of numerous well-wishers. I remain thankful for those opportunities.”
However, he lamented the current state of the party, describing it as “deeply disheartening” to see what was once Africa’s largest political party “torn into shreds by internal divisions.”
The Bayelsa East senator said his decision followed “wide-ranging consultations” and a firm conviction to align with a more “progressive vision” for Nigeria.
“The centre can no longer hold; the umbrella has been balkanized and is leaking profusely. Taking cognizance of these unhealthy developments within the PDP, I have finally arrived at the inevitable conclusion to reason Progressive, think Progressive, and act Progressively for a Renewed Hope in Nigeria. I, therefore, formally declare my resignation from the PDP and my defection to the APC with effect from today, October 29, 2025.”