No fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the African Democratic Congress have defected to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, deepening the political shake-up sparked by recent high-profile exits from the party.
The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced the defections during plenary on Tuesday.
He also disclosed that a federal lawmaker, Leke Abejide, had left the ADC for the All Progressives Congress.
Among those who moved to the NDC are Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others listed include Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The mass defection comes barely 24 hours after former presidential candidates, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, formally dumped the ADC for the NDC, a move widely seen as a major blow to the party’s structure ahead of future elections.
Both Obi and Kwankwaso had, in separate statements, said their decision was driven by the need to continue their political ambitions on a platform they believe offers a stronger pathway to national development.
The latest defections signal a growing realignment within the opposition space, with observers predicting further shifts in the coming days.