PDP Hemorrhages Support as Senators Defect to APC, Tambuwal Exits Amid Factional Crisis
Nigeria's main opposition party faces twin crises as three more senators join the ruling APC, pushing it toward a constitutional supermajority, while former Sokoto governor Aminu Tambuwal defects to ADC citing irreconcilable internal divisions.
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Nigeria's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered major defections this week as three additional senators crossed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), bringing the governing party perilously close to the two-thirds majority needed to unilaterally amend the constitution.
The latest defections give the APC 84 senators and 231 House of Representatives seats, according to This Day, effectively granting the party the constitutional threshold required to alter Nigeria's fundamental law without opposition support. The PDP caucus in the Senate has now shrunk to just 14 members, a dramatic collapse for a party that governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015.
The exodus comes as the PDP grapples with deepening internal fractures that prompted former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal to abandon the party entirely. Tambuwal defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday, citing "persistent internal crisis, leadership disagreements, and deepening divisions" as reasons for his departure, Vanguard News reported.
The party remains split between rival factions, with a group aligned to former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike scheduling a presidential primary for May 25 despite ongoing reconciliation efforts. The Board of Trustees has rejected an appeal court ruling that invalidated the Ibadan convention, according to This Day, and postponed meetings while expressing openness to reconciling with the opposing faction.
The APC's expanded legislative dominance poses significant implications for Nigeria's democratic checks and balances. A two-thirds majority in both chambers allows the ruling party to override presidential vetoes, impeach officials, and amend constitutional provisions including term limits and electoral procedures without cross-party consensus.
The PDP's factional warfare traces back to disputes over party leadership and candidate selection processes, with the Wike-aligned group and a rival faction each claiming legitimacy. The Board of Trustees' rejection of court interventions and postponement of reconciliation meetings suggests the internal crisis remains far from resolution, even as defections continue to drain the party's legislative strength.