The All Progressives Congress has solidified its power in the Senate. The party now has 88 lawmakers after swearing in four new senators elected in recent by-elections.
Reports from Sunday PUNCH show that, despite a recent wave of defections due to issues with the APC primaries for the 2027 general elections, the party still holds the majority in the National Assembly.
The APC gained three more senatorial seats in the June by-elections held in Ondo, Enugu, and Nasarawa states.
On June 24, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, inaugurated the four new lawmakers. They are Ikeje Asogwa from Enugu North, Dayo Faduyile from Ondo South, and Danladi Envulu-Anza from Nasarawa North. Olaka Nwogu from the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Rivers South-East, was also sworn in.
With these new additions, the number of APC senators rose from 85 to 88. This decrease has left the opposition parties with fewer seats.
This increase in seats comes just a month after several defections. Many lawmakers left the APC due to grievances about the party's leadership and its handling of candidate selection during the primaries.
Among those who left was former Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar Adamu. He resigned from the APC after losing the governorship primary in Nasarawa State. Two senators from Bauchi State and a House of Representatives member from Kano also switched to the Peoples Redemption Party and the National Democratic Congress.
The defectors include Senator Shehu Buba, who lost the Bauchi South ticket, and Sama’ila Dahuwa, who could not secure a second term in the National Assembly from Bauchi North. They criticized the APC for unfair treatment and lack of democracy during the primaries.
The list of defectors grew on June 23. Senator Garba Maidoki from Kebbi South left the APC and joined the African Democratic Congress. He was barred from the party’s senatorial primary.
Maidoki was elected to the Senate in 2023 on the PDP platform. He joined the APC in May 2025 after meeting President Bola Tinubu. However, he was screened out of the APC's senatorial primary, leading to his resignation from the party.
Despite losing some members, the APC has managed to grow its numbers in the Senate. This is due to both new members joining and victories in by-elections.
When the 10th Senate began in June 2023, the APC had 59 seats. Now, that number has grown to 88.
In contrast, the PDP's representation has dropped sharply from 36 senators at inauguration to just five now. The Labour Party, which started with eight senators, now has only one. The New Nigeria Peoples Party has lost both of its original seats.
The Social Democratic Party has also lost all its seats in the Senate. They began with two senators. The All Progressives Grand Alliance has managed to keep its one senator. The ADC, which had no senator at the start of the 10th Senate, now has nine seats, while the Accord Party has one.
The National Democratic Congress, a new party formed just five months ago, still has its single senator, Seriake Dickson from Bayelsa West.
With the swearing-in of the four new senators, all 109 seats in the Senate are now occupied. The Enugu North seat was vacant after the former senator, Okey Ezea, died on November 18, 2025.
Asogwa won the by-election with 162,360 votes, beating PDP’s Nestor Ezeme, who got 9,299 votes.
In Rivers South-East, Nwogu won with 47,961 votes against APC’s Osar Erewari, who got 1,647 votes. This election was to replace the late senator Barry Mpigi.
Faduyile secured the Ondo South seat with 68,474 votes, defeating Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement, who scored 1,411 votes. This seat became vacant after former senator Jimoh Ibrahim was appointed as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN.
In Nasarawa North, Envulu-Anza won with 45,362 votes, ahead of Labour Party’s Labaran Maku with 12,931 votes and PDP’s Emmanuel David Ombugadu with 11,570 votes. This seat became vacant after former senator Godiya Akwashiki died after a long illness.
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