Senator Peter Ndalikali Jiya of Niger South has officially dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), leaving the opposition without a single voice in the state’s Senate delegation.
During plenary on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Jiya’s letter of defection, effective March 10, 2026, in which the senator blamed “persistent internal conflicts and divisions” within the PDP for his departure.
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Elected to the Senate in 2023, Jiya affirmed his commitment to continue legislative work under the APC while acknowledging his years in the PDP and urging it to resolve its ongoing leadership struggles.
Political observers say his defection highlights a broader exodus of opposition lawmakers to the ruling party, reflecting deepening factionalism within the PDP and further consolidating the APC’s grip on the Senate ahead of the 2027 general elections.