17 members of the House of Representatives have defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Their defections were announced on the floor of the House during plenary on Tuesday.
Also announced was the defection of Leke Abejide from the ADC to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lawmakers who defected to the NDC include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande, Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi and Abdulhakeem Ado.
These defections further intensify the ongoing political alignments and realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defections of the lawmakers to NDC come two days after former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and his Kano State counterpart Musa Kwankwaso formally joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) from the ADC.
Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Kwankwaso, a former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), received the NDC membership cards on Sunday amid cheers from supporters, shortly after a closed-door meeting with leaders of the NDC.
The two opposition leaders were welcomed into the NDC by a former Governor of Bayelsa State and national leader of the party, Senator Seriake Dickson.
Obi had cited a worsening political climate marked by internal crises, external interference, and growing hostility within party structures as his reasons for leaving the ADC which he joined from the Labour Party barely in December 2025.
The former Anambra State governor described Nigeria’s political space as increasingly toxic, where intimidation, insecurity, and persistent scrutiny have become the norm.
He lamented that systems meant to protect citizens now often work against them, while individuals striving for sincere service face mounting pressure both publicly and privately.
Clarifying his decision, Obi stated that his exit was not due to any personal grievances with party leaders, including former Senate President David Mark or former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both of whom he said he continues to respect.
Instead, he pointed to a pattern of internal division, legal disputes, and what he described as the infiltration of destabilising forces—similar to challenges he previously encountered in the Labour Party.
“Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.
“However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building,”
Kwankwaso called on all Nigerians to register with the NDC as soon as possible, declaring that his camp had commenced registration immediately.
Welcoming the two leaders, Senator Dickson described the NDC as a party devoid of litigation and factions.
He also described the opposition party as Nigeria’s most stable, fastest-growing political party.
“On behalf of the leaders of our party and on behalf of the teeming members of our party, well-meaning Nigerians from all over our country, who in the five months have defied all odds and conquered all doubts, and invested their trust and confidence in the dream and vision of this party. On behalf of all of them, I thank you all, and I welcome you all, especially to the NDC and my humble home,” he said.
Dickson said that, though young, the NDC was ready to “box above its weight”.
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