The partisan composition of Nigeria’s House of Representatives shifted further on Wednesday, with party representation in the Green Chamber expanding to nine political parties following a fresh round of defections announced during plenary.
No fewer than 30 lawmakers formally notified the House of their decision to switch allegiance, citing internal crises, factional disputes and organisational instability within their former parties.
The latest development brings the total number of defections in the 10th Assembly to 121 since July 2024, when the current wave of cross-carpeting began—highlighting the fluidity of political alignments in the lower chamber.
Notably, the Action People’s Party (APP) secured representation in the House for the first time in the 10th Assembly, gaining two members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).
Breakdown of gains from the defections shows the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the biggest beneficiary, with a net gain of 98 seats. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) gained 15 seats, while the Accord Party (AP) added three seats.
Read also:
- INEC removes ADC leadership names from portal, maintains status quo after Appeal Court ruling
- Reps move to overhaul budgeting framework to drive $1tn economy goal
- WAANSA celebrates Ahoba’s enduring legacy in West Africa’s security architecture
The APP and LP recorded two additional seats each, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gained one.
On the losing side, the PDP recorded the highest losses with 74 seats, followed by the LP with 25 seats and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) with 14. The Young Progressives Party (YPP) lost three seats, APGA lost two, while both the APC and ADC recorded marginal losses of two and one seats respectively.
With the latest realignment, the APC retains its position as the Majority Caucus in the House.
The Minority Caucus is now composed of the PDP, ADC, NNPP, APGA, LP, Social Democratic Party (SDP), Accord Party and the APP.
The growing spread of political parties in the House underscores a widening multiparty presence, even as internal party crises continue to drive defections and reshape the balance of power within the National Assembly.
