Two More Lawmakers Join APC Amid Growing Exodus from Opposition Parties
The All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to swell its ranks as two more members of the House of Representatives, Okolie Lawrence and Akingbaso Olanrewaju, officially dumped their former parties to join the ruling party.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, read their defection letters during Wednesday’s plenary session, adding to what has become a steady stream of lawmakers switching allegiance to the APC in recent months.
Lawrence, who represents the Aniocha North/Aniocha South/Oshimili North/Oshimili South Federal Constituency of Delta State, left the Labour Party (LP), citing a desire to bring governance “closer” to his constituents.
Olanrewaju, representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency in Ondo State, exited the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), attributing his move to ongoing internal crises within the party. He expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” and described the APC as a better ideological fit.
However, not everyone welcomed the defections. Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda raised a point of order, disputing Olanrewaju’s claim of a PDP crisis. Despite the protest, Speaker Abbas acknowledged the objection but allowed proceedings to continue uninterrupted.
The defections of Lawrence and Olanrewaju are only the latest in a string of high-profile exits from opposition parties, further consolidating the APC’s grip on the lower legislative chamber.
Since October 2024, at least 24 lawmakers have switched parties — the majority migrating to the APC. Notable among them:
Chris Nkwonta (Abia) and Sulaiman Abubakar (Zamfara) both joined the APC in October. By December, five more lawmakers—four from the LP and one from the PDP—had defected. In February and March, six additional PDP members joined the APC, all citing internal instability within the party. On March 27, Clara Nnabuife left the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), claiming she was “sidelined.”
May 7 saw a flurry of activity as six PDP lawmakers joined the APC, and two LP members moved to the PDP. Victor Nwokolo, Julius Pondi, Thomas Ereyitomi, Nicholas Mutu, Ukodhiko Jonathan, and Ezechi Nnamdi — all prominent Delta lawmakers — joined the ruling party. Obetta Chidi and Dennis Agbo defected from the LP to the PDP.
Most recently, on May 8, three PDP lawmakers from Katsina — Abdullahi Balarabe, Abubakar Albaba Aliyu, and Yusuf Majigiri — all cited “protracted crisis” and “lack of cohesiveness” in their former party as reasons for their departure.
On May 15, Kano lawmakers Kabiru Usman and Abdullahi Sani abandoned the NNPP for the APC, further diminishing the strength of one of Nigeria’s rising opposition parties.
And in a symbolic shift, long-serving PDP stalwarts Oluwole Oke (Osun) and Sunday Umeha (Enugu) also crossed over to the APC.
With the APC welcoming an increasing number of defectors, the political balance in the House of Representatives is tilting heavily in favour of the ruling party. Analysts say this could embolden the executive’s legislative agenda, but critics warn it raises concerns about the erosion of political diversity and accountability.
