Defections Shake National Assembly as Over 120 Lawmakers Switch Parties
A sweeping wave of defections across Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly has dramatically altered the country’s political landscape, with more than 120 federal lawmakers abandoning the parties under which they were elected since 2023.
What began as isolated defections shortly after the inauguration of the National Assembly has evolved into one of the largest episodes of political cross-carpeting in Nigeria’s democratic history. The movement has cut across both chambers of the legislature, reshaping party strength and sparking concerns about political loyalty, democratic accountability, and the future of opposition politics.
Most of the defections have favoured the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while others have involved movements among opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party, and the emerging Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
The latest political realignments intensified following the reported movement of former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from the ADC to the NDC, prompting another round of defections within the National Assembly.
House of Representatives Sees Major Realignment
The House of Representatives has recorded the highest number of defections, with lawmakers from the PDP, LP, and NNPP crossing over mainly to the APC.
Several PDP lawmakers from Delta, Kaduna, Katsina, Rivers, Cross River, Benue, and Akwa Ibom States moved to the ruling party, alongside some LP and NNPP members. Kano State also witnessed a significant shift as several NNPP lawmakers defected to the APC.
In 2026 alone, at least 27 House members changed political parties. While many joined the APC, others moved to opposition platforms such as the ADC, Accord Party, APP, and the newly formed NDC.
A fresh round of defections last week saw 18 lawmakers leave the ADC, with 17 joining the NDC and one defecting to the APC. Some of the lawmakers had previously switched parties before making another move.
The latest changes have strengthened the APC’s dominance in the House, giving the ruling party 283 members. The PDP’s representation has fallen sharply to 27 seats, while the ADC now controls nine seats and the NDC has emerged with 19 lawmakers.
Senate Also Witnesses Political Shift
The Senate has experienced a similar pattern of defections since June 2023.
At inauguration, the APC held 59 seats against a combined opposition strength of 50 senators spread across the PDP, LP, NNPP, SDP, and YPP. However, a combination of court rulings and defections steadily changed the balance of power.
By 2025, the APC’s strength had risen to 75 senators, while the PDP, LP, NNPP, and SDP all suffered losses. The opposition bloc was further reshaped when several senators defected to the ADC and later to the NDC and Labour Party.
The most recent Senate defections involved lawmakers moving from the NNPP and PDP to the NDC and ADC, continuing the trend of political fluidity within the upper chamber.
Concerns Over Democracy and Accountability
The growing wave of defections has triggered criticism from opposition figures, civil society groups, and political analysts, who argue that the trend threatens Nigeria’s multi-party democracy and weakens legislative independence.
Minority leaders in the National Assembly have called for stricter enforcement of constitutional provisions requiring defecting lawmakers to vacate their seats.
Civil society organisations including Yiaga Africa and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) warned that the defections reflect a decline in ideological politics and a rise in transactional, survival-driven politics.
Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the trend deepens public distrust in politics and undermines democratic accountability.
Similarly, CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Musa Rafsanjani described the defections as a betrayal of voters’ mandates, warning that they could weaken legislative oversight and turn the National Assembly into a rubber-stamp institution.
Former Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe also warned that the concentration of power in one dominant party could endanger democratic governance by reducing healthy political dissent.
Political analysts argue that many defections are motivated more by personal survival and access to power than by ideology or policy differences. They fear that the shrinking opposition could weaken checks and balances and reduce robust debate within the legislature.
Observers say the ongoing political realignments have exposed deeper structural weaknesses within Nigeria’s party system, where ideology remains weak and party loyalty is often secondary to political advantage.