Seventeen members of the House of Representatives have defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), in a major political shift announced during plenary on Tuesday.
The defections, formally read on the floor of the Green Chamber, mark one of the largest single movements of federal lawmakers in recent times and signal growing realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmakers who switched 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, Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene and Abdulhakeem Ado.
In a related development, Leke Abejide also defected from the ADC to the All Progressives Congress (APC), further underlining the ongoing political reshuffling within the lower chamber.
The wave of defections comes barely 24 hours after former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso announced their exit from the ADC to join the NDC, a move widely seen as a significant twist in the build-up to the next general elections.
Tuesday’s development is expected to alter the balance of power in the House and intensify political maneuvering among parties as the 2027 race gathers momentum.
