The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared its intention to take legal action against lawmakers elected under its platform who have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as unconstitutional and a gross violation of public trust.
Citing Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the PDP emphasized that defections are only valid if there is a division within the party, a condition the opposition party insists does not exist.
“The party has activated that provision of the law and will see the cases through to a logical conclusion”.
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This announcement comes in the wake of the defection of three senators from Kebbi State—Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South)—who recently joined the APC after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Reacting to the development, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by Acting National Chairman Ambassador Iliya Damagum, condemned the defections as “a betrayal of the people’s mandate,” and vowed to pursue every legal and political means to reclaim its seats.
“This brazen trading of electoral mandates will not go unchallenged,” the party stated.
In contrast, APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje welcomed the defectors, assuring their smooth integration into the party. He dismissed concerns of Nigeria tilting toward a one-party state, arguing that political dominance results from public confidence, not coercion.
“A one-party state is not forced; it evolves when citizens freely choose where they believe governance works best,” Ganduje said, attributing the wave of defections to President Tinubu’s growing popularity and leadership style.
As tensions rise between Nigeria’s two leading parties, the legal and political implications of these defections could shape the country’s evolving democratic landscape.
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