A fresh wave of defections in the House of Representatives has given the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other parties more members as politicians intensify realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, read the notices of defection during plenary on Tuesday.
Twenty-seven lawmakers defected in what is one of the major political realignments in the Green Chamber, just less than one year before Nigerians head to the polls to elect their next set of leaders.
Fourteen of the defectors came into the APC. The eight lawmakers who joined the ADC were made up of five reps from the PDP, two from the Labour Party (LP), and one from the APC.
Meanwhile, the Action Peoples Party (APP) got two lawmakers, one each from the PDP and LP. It was a similar story with the Accord Party, with two new House of Representatives members from the PDP joining the party, which now rules Osun State.
The lawmakers said their defections were due to an internal crisis in their former parties.
House of Reps Defectors
Below is a list of the lawmakers, the parties they defected from, and where they are headed:
# Member of Parliament Former Party New Party Constituency / State
1 Aliu Madaki (Deputy Minority Leader) NNPP APC Dala (Kano)
2 George Ozodinobi (Deputy Minority Whip) LP ADC Njikoka/Anaocha/Dunukofia (Anambra)
3 Philip Agbese APC LP Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo (Benue)
4 Ugochinyere Michael Ikeagwuonu PDP APP Ideato (Imo)
5 Abdussamad Dasuki PDP ADC Kebbe/Tambuwal (Sokoto)
6 Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe NNPP APC Tofa/Dawakin-Tofa/Rimingado (Kano)
7 Seyi Sowunmi LP ADC Ojo (Lagos)
8 Mohammed Bassi PDP APC Mayo Belwa/Ganye/Jada/Toungo (Adamawa)
9 Ghali Tijjani Mustapha NNPP APC Ajingi/Albasu/Gaya (Kano)
10 Shehu Bello NNPP APC Fagge (Kano)
11 Dankawu Idris NNPP APC Kumbotso (Kano)
12 Hussain Hassan Shehu NNPP APC Nassarawa (Kano)
13 Rabiu Yusuf NNPP APC Sumaila/Takai (Kano)
14 Garba Mohammed Chiroma NNPP APC Gezawa/Gabasawa (Kano)
15 Ibrahim Mohammed (Kano) NNPP APC Gwale (Kano)
16 Jaafaru Yakubu PDP APC Bali/Gassol (Taraba)
17 Sadiq Abbas Tafida PDP APC Jalingo/Yorro/Zing (Taraba)
18 Ibrahim Mohammed (Kebbi) PDP APC Birnin-Kebbi/Kalgo/Bunza (Kebbi)
19 Bello Shinkafi PDP APC Shinkafi/Zurmi (Zamfara)
20 Harris Okonkwo LP ADC Idemili North/South (Anambra)
21 Yaya Bauchi Tongo PDP ADC Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye (Gombe)
22 Mustapha Abdullahi APC ADC Ikara/Kubau (Kaduna)
23 Mani Maishinko Katami PDP ADC Binji/Silame (Sokoto)
24 Umar Yusuf Yabo PDP ADC Yabo/Shagari (Sokoto)
25 Nwogu Mathew LP APP Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala (Imo)
26 Akanni Clement Ademola PDP Accord Boluwaduro/Ifedayo/Ila (Osun)
27 Oladebo Lanre Olomololaye PDP Accord Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan (Osun)
