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 by Sunday PUNCH 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.
