The All Progressives Congress (APC) has tightened its grip on the Senate following the defection of Senator Kelvin Chukwu, representing Enugu East, from the Labour Party (LP).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the defection during Wednesday’s plenary, confirming that the APC now holds 73 out of 109 seats — a clear two-thirds majority in the upper chamber.
Chukwu, who succeeded his late brother, Oyibo Chukwu, after the 2023 general election, blamed his defection on the persistent internal crisis within the Labour Party.
“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 Labour Party is left with only four senators in the 10th Senate. Senator Okey Ezea (Enugu North) is now the party’s sole representative from Enugu State.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) currently controls 28 seats, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have one senator each. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) holds two seats.
Chukwu’s defection is the latest in a series of opposition lawmakers joining the APC in recent months.
Earlier, four PDP senators — Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), Oluwole Olubiyi (Osun Central), Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East), and Samson Ekong (Akwa Ibom South) — defected to the ruling party, citing unresolved internal crises.
Bassey had invoked Sections 40 and 68(1)(g) of the Constitution to defend his decision.
The growing wave of defections has reshaped the political dynamics of the Senate, sparking concern among analysts that a near one-party dominance could erode the effectiveness of opposition oversight in the National Assembly.