Akpabio’s comment unsettles ADC

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday described the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as effectively “dead,” following a surge of defections by its members to other political parties.

ADC members are unhappy about the comment which they described as not befitting of the person of the Senate President.

Akpabio made the remark during plenary while presiding over proceedings in the Senate, shortly after announcements were made regarding lawmakers leaving the ADC. Among those who defected was Victor Umeh, who joined the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Reacting to the trend, Akpabio expressed frustration over the frequency of defection announcements on the Senate floor. He suggested that lawmakers intending to switch parties should submit their names collectively to avoid what he described as a repetitive process.

“Maybe all those defecting from ADC should just compile everything in one paper and bring, so that we don’t keep announcing, announcing, announcing. Because I think ADC is dead,” he said.

The Senate President also criticised what he called the growing culture of frequent party switching among lawmakers. “How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times,” he added.

He further recommended that future defections be grouped by party movement to streamline the process, noting that it was beginning to resemble a “daily ritual.”

In a lighter moment, Akpabio referenced the case of Enyinnaya Abaribe, who, according to him, moved from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to ADC and then to the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, similar developments were recorded in the House of Representatives, where no fewer than 17 lawmakers announced their defection from the ADC to the NDC during Tuesday’s plenary.

The defectors, drawn from Kano, Anambra, Lagos, Edo and Rivers states, cited internal crises within the ADC as the primary reason for their decision. In separate letters read on the floor of the House, they pointed to “unresolved crises from the national to ward levels” as justification for their exit.

The growing wave of defections has raised concerns about stability within the ADC and underscores shifting political alliances ahead of future electoral contests.