Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the African Democratic Congress is "effectively dead," as a fresh wave of defections hit both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The comment came during plenary after the Senate read out a list of lawmakers who had left the ADC for other parties, including the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party (LP).
Among them was Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra Central, who cited internal crises and leadership disputes for his move to the NDC.
As announcements continued on the floor, Akpabio intervened with a remark that drew audible reactions from colleagues.
"Maybe all those defecting from ADC should just compile everything in one paper and bring it, so that we don’t keep announcing, announcing, announcing. Because I think ADC is dead," he said.
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He also joked about the pace of party switching, asking: "How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times."
The Senate President suggested that lawmakers should submit defection letters in batches rather than reading them individually.
"If you are defecting from Labour, you write all of you. If you are moving from ADC, you write all of you. If you are entering NDC, you write all of you," he said.
During the session, Akpabio referenced Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s own political journey, revealing his moves from APGA to ADC and then to the Labour Party, a comment that prompted laughter in the chamber.
At least 16 members of the House of Representatives left the ADC for the NDC during the same sitting.
Most of the defecting lawmakers have blamed persistent internal divisions and leadership disputes within the ADC for their decision to quit.
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