…as ruling party dominates Senate with 76 seats
…opposition ranks continue to shrink amid realignments ahead of 2027 elections
The Senator representing Cross River North, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), further tightening the ruling party’s control of the Nigerian Senate.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over Tuesday’s plenary, read Senator Jarigbe’s letter of defection on the floor of the upper chamber.
“I wish to formally inform this distinguished Senate of my decision to resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and join the All Progressives Congress (APC),” Jarigbe stated in his letter.
With the latest defection, the APC now controls 76 out of 109 Senate seats, leaving the opposition parties with a diminished capacity to challenge key legislative decisions.
Efforts to obtain comments from the PDP leadership in Cross River were unsuccessful at press time.
