Senate President Godswill Akpabio has reacted to the continued wave of defections shaking the National Assembly, joking that the African Democratic Congress has effectively become “dead” following the mass exit of its members.
Akpabio made the comment on Tuesday while presiding over plenary after lawmakers announced fresh defections, including Senator Victor Umeh, who officially left the ADC for the Nigerian Democratic Congress. Umeh reportedly cited internal crises and prolonged legal battles within the party as reasons for his decision.
Reacting to the developments, the Senate President said the repeated announcements of defections were becoming excessive and somewhat repetitive, suggesting that lawmakers should consolidate their decisions instead of bringing them up individually on the Senate floor.
Resignation from ADC and declaration for Labour Party. 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 also questioned the frequency of party switching among politicians, expressing surprise at how often some legislators change affiliations.
How many times can you defect in a month? Once. But some have done three times.
In a lighter tone, Akpabio further advised that future defections be properly grouped to avoid repeated interruptions during plenary sessions.
So that it doesn’t look like a daily ritual. 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 to all of you.
