Three senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have formally defected to the All Progressives Congress, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria confirmed on Wednesday.
The lawmakers are Amos Yohanna representing Adamawa North, Aminu Abbas representing Adamawa Central, and Ikra Bilbis representing Zamfara North. Their letters of defection were read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Yohanna cited internal divisions within the PDP at the national level as the reason for his defection.
“This decision follows prolonged and unresolved internal divisions within the party at a national level, which have significantly impaired its cohesion and effective functioning,” he said, noting that the crisis created structural fractures within the party.
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He added that his defection was in line with Section 68 Subsection 1G of the 1999 Constitution, which allows legislators to retain their seats when leaving a party due to national-level divisions.
Abbas, in his letter, said he resigned from the PDP with immediate effect and defected to the APC. He pointed to persistent leadership crises and multiple court cases within the PDP as factors influencing his decision, adding that the prevailing conditions met the constitutional threshold for defection.
Bilbis also cited consultations with political stakeholders and the need to align with the federal government as reasons for his move.
“My decision is predicated on prolonged internal crises in my former party, the PDP, the need for alignment with the centre, and the need to continue to support the national agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
The defections underscore growing challenges within the PDP and a continued realignment of political allegiances ahead of upcoming elections.