PDP Suffers Fresh Blow in Senate as Banigo Ipalibo Defects to APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday suffered another setback in the Senate following the defection of Senator Ipalibo Banigo, representing Rivers West, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Banigo’s defection, which was announced during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has further reduced the number of PDP senators from 18 to 17 in the upper legislative chamber.

The party had 36 senators at the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023 but has since experienced a steady decline due to defections.

Akpabio also disclosed that more defection letters from senators had already been submitted to him and would be announced at a later date. According to him, the announcements were temporarily delayed out of respect for the late Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South East and whose death led the Senate to suspend plenary until Wednesday.

In her defection letter, Banigo said her decision was driven by the need to align with what she described as a more stable and progressive political platform.

“I am convinced that the APC offers a more stable and progressive platform to advance the legislative and developmental agenda of my constituency and the nation at large,” she stated.

She explained that the internal divisions and prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP influenced her decision to leave the party.

Banigo also noted that her move was partly to align with her political mentor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, in supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration’s economic reforms.

Speaking with journalists after plenary, the senator cited ongoing infrastructure projects in Rivers State, including the long-awaited Bonny Road project, as part of the reasons for her decision.

She said the completion of the road had significantly improved trade, transportation and communication for residents of the area.

With the latest defection, the composition of the Senate has shifted significantly from the figures recorded at the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in 2023.

The APC now has 81 senators, up from 59 at the start of the Assembly, while the PDP has dropped to 17 from 36. The Labour Party, which initially had eight senators, currently has none, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has one senator.

Similarly, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which once had two senators, currently has none, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) retains one seat.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), which had no senator at the start of the 10th Senate, now has five members, while the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has one senator in the person of Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West.

The total number of serving senators currently stands at 106, compared to the constitutionally required 109 seats.

The three vacant seats are from Nasarawa North, Enugu North and Rivers South East, which became vacant following the deaths of Senators Godiya Akwashiki, Okechukwu Ezea and Barinada Mpigi respectively.