The political balance in Rivers State shifted significantly on Tuesday as two serving senators and six members of the House of Representatives formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), deepening the crisis within the opposition party and strengthening the APC’s grip on the National Assembly.
The senators who crossed over are Allwell Onyesoh, representing Rivers East Senatorial District, and Barinada Mpigi of Rivers South-East.
Their defection was announced on the floor of the Senate during plenary, after lawmakers voted to suspend standing rules to allow officials of the APC, led by the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, to witness the move.
Both senators, widely regarded as political allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, cited prolonged internal disagreements and unresolved leadership crises within the PDP as the primary reasons for their decision to leave the party.
With their defection, the APC further consolidated its dominance in the Senate, raising its number to 78 members and reinforcing its position as the clear majority party in the upper legislative chamber.
The development added to a growing list of high-profile defections to the APC in recent months, particularly from Rivers State.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who emerged from the PDP, has also aligned himself politically with the ruling party, a move that has reshaped alliances within the oil-rich state.
The wave of defections has sparked renewed debate over the health of Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, with critics warning of a gradual drift toward a one-party system.
However, Senate leaders dismissed such concerns, insisting that democratic competition remained alive.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele said the APC’s growing membership in the legislature does not threaten democracy.
He described the ruling party as a responsible political organisation committed to working with minority parties in the national interest.
According to him, the APC’s focus remains on governance outcomes, including food security, improved healthcare and economic stability.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, welcomed the defectors but stressed the need for internal democracy within the APC.
He assured new entrants that the party would provide a fair platform for participation and political growth, emphasising justice, inclusiveness and unity.
Akpabio also expressed sympathy for opposition parties, urging them to resolve their internal disputes to remain competitive.
Meanwhile, the realignment extended to the House of Representatives, where six lawmakers from Rivers State also announced their departure from the PDP to join the APC. All are known to be loyal to Wike and influential within their constituencies.
Those who defected included Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency and a former deputy speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly; Solomon Bob of Abua/Odual and Ahoada East; Hart Cyril, who represents Degema/Bonny; and Victor Obuzor of Ahoada West/Ogba-Egbema/Ndoni, who chairs the House Committee on Civil Societies.
Also joining the APC were Blessing Amadi, representing Port Harcourt II Federal Constituency, and Felix Nweke of Eleme/Oyigbo/Tai Federal Constituency.
The mass defection underscored the deepening fractures within the PDP in Rivers State and highlights the expanding influence of the APC ahead of future electoral contests, both at the state and national levels.
