ABUJA, Nigeria — The wave of defections reshaping Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber continued on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, as two more lawmakers — Okolie Lawrence and Akingbaso Olanrewaju — formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced the defections during plenary, reading out letters submitted by the legislators.
Lawrence, who represented the Aniocha North/Aniocha South/Oshimili North/Oshimili South federal constituency of Delta State under the Labour Party (LP), said his decision to join the APC was aimed at “bringing governance closer” to his constituents.
Olanrewaju, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency in Ondo State, attributed his defection to the internal crisis within the PDP.
He added that his move was also driven by a desire to “align” with the APC’s “ideology and renewed hope agenda” championed by President Bola Tinubu.
His defection drew a quick protest from Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, who raised a point of order, contesting Olanrewaju’s claim of a party crisis.
“There is no crisis in the PDP,” Chinda asserted.
However, Speaker Abbas noted the objection and moved on with the legislative agenda for the day.
The latest defections underscore the mounting pressure on opposition parties, especially the PDP and LP, which have seen several members cross over to the ruling party in recent months.
Since October 2024, at least 22 lawmakers have switched allegiances, the majority joining the APC. Notable among them are:
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Chris Nkwonta (PDP, Abia) defected to APC on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
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Sulaiman Abubakar (PDP, Zamfara) on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
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Four LP members and one PDP lawmaker joined APC by Thursday, December 5, 2024.
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Amos Magaji (Kaduna) and Garba Koko (Kebbi) left the PDP for APC in February
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Jallo Mohammed (Kaduna) and Adamu Tanko (Niger) defected in March
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Clara Nnabuife (YPP, Anambra) moved to APGA on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
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On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, six PDP and two LP lawmakers defected to APC and PDP, respectively
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On Thursday, May 8, 2025, three PDP members from Katsina — Abdullahi Balarabe, Abubakar Albaba Aliyu, and Yusuf Majigiri — all joined the APC
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On Thursday, May 15, Kabiru Usman and Abdullahi Sani left the NNPP for APC
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Oluwole Oke (Osun) and Sunday Umeha (Enugu) moved from PDP to APC
Victor Nwokolo, Julius Pondi, Thomas Ereyitomi, Nicholas Mutu, Ukodhiko Jonathan, and Ezechi Nnamdi — all formerly of the PDP — also joined the APC earlier this month.
While the APC has welcomed the inflow, critics warn that the trend could undermine multiparty democracy and weaken opposition scrutiny.
