The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday suffered another major setback in the Senate, following the defection of three Senators to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The development reduced the number of PDP senators in the chamber to 14, far below the 36 the opposition party had at the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June , 2023.
Similarly, the party lost three members in the House of Representatives to the ruling APC and one to Accord, thus reducing their number in the Green Chamber to 17.
The development means the PDP shed 85 lawmakers from its inaugural figure of 102 in 2023.
This means that, across both chambers of the National Assembly, the PDP lost 107 lawmakers to the APC, Accord and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The APC, however, expanded its strength to 84 senators from 59 at the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023.
The Labour Party, which began the term with eight senators, currently has none, while the New Nigeria People’s Party ( NNPP) now has one senator, down from two at the start of the assembly.
Also, the Social Democratic Party, which initially had two senators, currently has none, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance retains one seat.
The African Democratic Congress, which had no senator at the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, now controls five seats, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has one Senator in the person of Seriake Dickson representing Bayelsa West.
The Senate currently has 106 serving members, three short of the constitutionally required 109 seats.
The vacant seats include Nasarawa North, which became vacant following the death of Godiya Akwashiki; Enugu North, left vacant after the demise of Okechukwu Ezea; and Rivers South-East, which became vacant after the death of Senator Mpigi.
In the 360-member House, the APC now controls 245 seats, leaving 114 seats for seven opposition parties.
On Wednesday, three defections were announced on the floor of the Senate, while five members of the House of Representatives switched parties.
The defected Senators are Amos Yohanna (Adamawa North), Aminu Iya Abbas (Adamawa Central) and Ikra Aliyu Bilbis (Zamfara North).
Their defection came barely 24 hours after Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo, representing Rivers West, also dumped the PDP for the ruling APC.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, after reading the defection letters, further fuelled speculation of additional defections from opposition ranks, as he disclosed that several other Senators had already forwarded letters notifying him of their intention to switch parties.
He said the announcements were temporarily put on hold following the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East, noting that the Senate had suspended plenary from Tuesday to Wednesday in honour of the late lawmaker.
Explaining her decision to leave the PDP, Banigo said she opted for what she described as a more stable political platform capable of advancing the legislative and developmental interests of her constituents and the country.
She also cited the lingering leadership crisis within the PDP as a major factor behind her decision to defect.
