By Obinna Uballa
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has tightened its grip on the Senate after Senator Kelvin Chukwu, representing Enugu East, defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio formally announced Chukwu’s defection during Wednesday’s plenary, raising the APC’s strength in the upper chamber to 73 seats, a clear two-thirds majority.
Chukwu, who succeeded his late brother, Oyibo Chukwu, after the 2023 elections, cited the protracted crisis within the LP as his reason for leaving.
“The protracted crisis rocking the LP, which has led to its fractionalisation, is a development that is seriously affecting its members,” he said.
With Chukwu’s exit, the LP is left with only four senators in the 10th Senate. Enugu North’s Okey Ezea is now the party’s sole representative from the state.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holds 28 seats, the Social Democratic Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party have one each, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance controls two.
The defection follows a wave of opposition lawmakers recently crossing over to the APC. In recent months, PDP senators Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), Oluwole Olubiyi (Osun Central), Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East), and Samson Ekong (Akwa Ibom South) have all joined the ruling party, mostly citing internal divisions.
Political analysts warn that APC’s growing dominance could weaken effective opposition in the National Assembly, tilting Nigeria’s democracy toward near one-party rule.
