APC Tightens Senate Grip With 88 Seats After By-elections
The ruling All Progressives Congress has further consolidated its dominance in the Senate after increasing its membership to 88 lawmakers following the inauguration of four senators elected in the recent by-elections.
Findings revealed that despite the recent wave of defections triggered by grievances over the APC primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections, the party still maintains the majority in the National Assembly.
The party won three additional senatorial seats in the June by-elections in Ondo, Enugu and Nasarawa states.
The four new lawmakers were sworn in by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on June 24.
They are Ikeje Asogwa of Enugu North Senatorial District, Dayo Faduyile of Ondo South Senatorial District and Danladi Envulu-Anza of Nasarawa North Senatorial District.
Similarly, Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, was also sworn in.
The addition of the new lawmakers increased the number of APC senators from 85 to 88, leaving the opposition with significantly reduced numbers.
The increase comes barely one month after a series of defections from the ruling party by aggrieved aspirants and lawmakers who accused the APC leadership of candidate imposition, injustice and a lack of internal democracy during the party’s governorship and legislative primaries.
Among those who dumped the APC was a former Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar Adamu, who resigned his membership of the party after losing the governorship primary in Nasarawa State.
Two serving senators from Bauchi State and a member of the House of Representatives from Kano also left the APC for the Peoples Redemption Party and the National Democratic Congress.
The defectors include the senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, who lost the APC governorship ticket, and Sama’ila Dahuwa of Bauchi North Senatorial District, who failed in his bid to secure a second-term ticket to the National Assembly.
They accused the APC leadership of injustice and undermining internal democracy during the conduct of the primaries.
The list of defectors grew on June 23 when the senator representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garba Maidoki, resigned from the APC and joined the African Democratic Congress after being barred from participating in the party’s senatorial primary.
The first-term lawmaker was elected to the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the PDP before defecting to the APC in May 2025 alongside fellow Kebbi senators Adamu Aliero and Yahaya Abdullahi after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
However, he was screened out of the APC senatorial primary and denied the opportunity to seek a second-term ticket, prompting his exit from the ruling party.
Despite the high-profile defections, the APC has continued to expand its numerical advantage in the Senate through a combination of defections into the party and victories in by-elections.
At the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023, the APC controlled 59 seats. That figure has now risen to 88.
In contrast, the PDP’s representation has shrunk dramatically from 36 senators at inauguration to just five.
The Labour Party, which began the current Assembly with eight senators, now has only one member, while the New Nigeria Peoples Party has lost both of its original seats.
Similarly, the Social Democratic Party no longer has representation in the Senate after starting with two senators, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance has retained its lone seat.
The ADC, which had no senator at the inauguration of the 10th Senate, now controls nine seats, while the Accord Party has one senator.
The NDC, one of the country’s newest political parties established barely five months ago, has retained its sole senator through its National Leader and Bayelsa West lawmaker, Seriake Dickson.
With the inauguration of the four new senators, all 109 constitutionally prescribed seats in the Senate are now occupied.
The Enugu North seat became vacant following the death of the former senator, Okey Ezea, on November 18, 2025.
Asogwa won the by-election with 162,360 votes, defeating the PDP’s Nestor Ezeme, who polled 9,299 votes.
In Rivers South-East, Nwogu emerged victorious with 47,961 votes to defeat APC candidate Osar Erewari, who secured 1,647 votes.
The election was held to replace the late senator Barry Mpigi.
Faduyile clinched the Ondo South seat after polling 68,474 votes to defeat Adeolu Akinwunmi of the Allied People’s Movement, who scored 1,411 votes.
The seat became vacant following the appointment of former senator Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
In Nasarawa North, Envulu-Anza won with 45,362 votes ahead of Labour Party candidate Labaran Maku, who polled 12,931 votes, and PDP candidate Emmanuel David Ombugadu, who secured 11,570 votes.
The seat became vacant after the death of former senator Godiya Akwashiki following a prolonged illness.
