“If a Senator Defects, He Loses His Seat” — Akpabio’s 2016 Post Resurfaces Amid Senate Defections

A 2016 social media post by Senate President Godswill Akpabio has resurfaced online as the Nigerian Senate grapples with a fresh wave of defections. The statement, originally made during Akpabio’s time in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), asserts that any senator who defects from the party on whose platform they were elected should lose their seat.

The post, dated November 2016, was in response to the defection of Senator Yele Omogunwa from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC). “As lawmakers, Senators must not encourage political rascality,” Akpabio wrote on Facebook at the time. “The constitution is clear on this: if a Senator defects to another political party, he loses his seat.”

Now serving as Senate President under the ruling APC, Akpabio faces mounting criticism for not enforcing that same principle. Over the past few months, several high-profile defections from the PDP to the APC have occurred without any move by Senate leadership to declare the seats vacant.

On May 9, 2025, all three PDP senators from Kebbi State—Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South)—defected to the APC following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. Earlier in February, Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) also joined the APC.

These defections have triggered protests from PDP lawmakers, who accuse Akpabio of abandoning the very constitutional stance he once defended. In a dramatic walkout from plenary, PDP senators demanded that the Senate leadership act in line with constitutional provisions. Senator Abba Moro (Benue South), speaking on behalf of the group, called on Akpabio to demonstrate consistency and integrity. “If the Senate President once believed in protecting party mandates, he must now prove it by his actions,” Moro said.

The reemergence of Akpabio’s 2016 post has ignited public debate, with many Nigerians questioning his current stance and accusing him of hypocrisy in the face of political

expediency.