Akpabio Mocks Opposition as Labour Party Senator Defects to APC, Boosting Ruling Party’s Senate Majority

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday mocked opposition lawmakers after Senator Kelvin Chukwu, representing Enugu East, defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Chukwu announced his decision during plenary, citing a lingering crisis within the LP as the reason for his move.

The defection increased the APC’s numbers in the 10th Senate to 73 members, giving the ruling party a two-thirds majority and strengthening its control of the chamber.

Akpabio, reacting to the development, taunted the opposition over what he described as disunity within their ranks. “I want a strong and vibrant opposition in Nigeria,” he said. “But where they are not able to organise themselves and all the political parties are in tatters, then the right thing for them to do is to join me so that we can together move this country forward.”

He added that while Nigeria would not become a one-party state, opposition parties needed to “put their houses in order.” The Senate President went further, mocking specific parties: “The PDP is on the ground. The umbrella is torn. The Labour Party is in tatters. Accord Party is no more. The ADC even crashed before it took off.”

Akpabio congratulated APC senators for what he called “a strong gain” in Enugu and invited Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro to respond. Moro, however, dismissed claims of disarray, insisting the opposition remained intact despite recent defections.

“With due respect, Mr President of the Senate, we are capable of holding our own,” Moro said. He noted that defections were part of democratic rights and wished Chukwu well in his new party. “My brother came here on the back of the Obidient Movement and a sympathy vote, but that is a story for another day,” he added.

The minority leader joked that the APC benches were becoming “too full,” while affirming that the remaining opposition lawmakers would “try to stay till 2027.”

Chukwu’s exit leaves the Labour Party with four senators, making Okey Ezea (Enugu North) the only LP senator from Enugu State. The PDP now holds 28 seats, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have one senator each. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) retains two.