Akpabio Faces Backlash As Old Defection Remarks Resurface Amid Senate Turmoil

A past statement by Senate President Godswill Akpabio has resurfaced online, sparking renewed debate and criticism as a wave of defections continues to shake the Nigerian Senate.

The statement, attributed to Akpabio in November 2016 while he was a senator with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), firmly asserted that any lawmaker who defects from the party under which they were elected must forfeit their seat.

“As lawmakers, senators must not encourage political rascality. That is why PDP Senators today staged a walkout to protest the purported defection of Senator Yele Omogunwa, who was elected on the platform of the PDP but claimed he wants to defect to the APC to support the governor-elect of his state. The constitution is clear on this: if a senator defects to another political party, he loses his seat,” Akpabio wrote on his official Facebook page at the time.

Nearly a decade later, Akpabio, now presiding over the Senate as a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is under scrutiny for allegedly turning a blind eye to similar defections — this time in favour of the APC.

In recent weeks, the upper chamber has witnessed a series of high-profile defections, most notably on May 9, 2025, when all three PDP senators from Kebbi State — Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) — defected to the APC following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.

Earlier, in February, Delta North Senator Ned Nwoko also formally joined the APC.

Despite these moves, Akpabio has not moved to declare any of the defectors’ seats vacant, drawing accusations of inconsistency and partisanship. Critics argue his current actions — or lack thereof — stand in stark contrast to his previously vocal opposition to party-switching without consequence.

In a protest mirroring Akpabio’s own 2016 walkout, PDP senators recently staged a dramatic exit from plenary, denouncing what they described as a failure to uphold constitutional integrity.

Speaking on behalf of the protesting lawmakers, Senator Abba Moro (Benue South) challenged Akpabio to stand by the principles he once espoused.

“We cannot stand by and watch as the sanctity of our democratic institutions is eroded by political expediency. If the Senate President once believed in protecting party mandates, he must now prove it by his actions.”

The re-emergence of Akpabio’s old Facebook post has ignited fierce public reaction, with many Nigerians accusing the Senate President of hypocrisy and calling into question his consistency on constitutional and democratic matters.