PDP, LP Lawmakers Defect to APC as Wave of Party Switches Continues

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has welcomed two new members into its ranks in the House of Representatives, as Okolie Lawrence of the Labour Party (LP) and Akingbaso Olanrewaju of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) officially announced their defection on Wednesday.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, read their defection letters during plenary, marking another development in the ongoing string of party switches in the lower chamber.

Lawrence, who represents the Aniocha North/Aniocha South/Oshimili North/Oshimili South federal constituency of Delta State, said his decision to join the APC was motivated by a desire to bring governance closer to his constituents.

Olanrewaju, who represents Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency of Ondo State, attributed his departure from the PDP to internal issues within the party. He expressed alignment with the ideology of the APC and President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.

However, Olanrewaju’s defection drew protest from Kingsley Chinda, the House Minority Leader, who raised a point of order, insisting that the PDP was not facing a crisis. Speaker Abbas acknowledged the protest but allowed the defection to stand.

The latest defections are part of a broader pattern in recent months, which has seen a steady stream of lawmakers switching allegiance to the ruling APC. Since October 2024, over a dozen lawmakers from various parties—including PDP, LP, and NNPP—have defected, citing internal crises, marginalisation, or alignment with the APC’s policies.

Among the notable defectors in recent months are Chris Nkwonta (Abia), Sulaiman Abubakar (Zamfara), Amos Magaji (Kaduna), Garba Koko (Kebbi), Jallo Mohammed (Kaduna), Adamu Tanko (Niger), and Clara Nnabuife (Anambra), who left YPP for APGA.

Earlier in May, six PDP lawmakers and two LP members switched parties, including prominent figures like Victor Nwokolo, Julius Pondi, Thomas Ereyitomi, Nicholas Mutu, and Ezechi Nnamdi—all moving to the APC. Others, like Obetta Chidi and Dennis Agbo, left LP for the PDP.

Three lawmakers from Katsina—Abdullahi Balarabe, Abubakar Albaba Aliyu, and Yusuf Majigiri—also joined the APC, citing prolonged crises and lack of unity in the PDP.

More recently, on May 15, two NNPP members from Kano, Kabiru Usman and Abdullahi Sani, defected to the APC. They were followed by Oluwole Oke from Osun and Sunday Umeha from Enugu, both leaving the PDP to join the ruling party.

The continuing wave of defections has significantly shifted the composition of the House, further consolidating APC’s dominance in the federal legislature.