The Senator representing Enugu East, Kelvin Chukwu, has formally defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naijaonpoint reports that Chukwu’s defection was officially announced on Tuesday during plenary by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
The announcement was greeted with applause from several lawmakers in the ruling party’s caucus.
Explaining the reason for his defection, Senator Chukwu cited the collapse of internal democracy and the “tattered state” of the Labour Party as the major factors behind his decision to leave.
“I am leaving the Labour Party because internal democracy has completely collapsed, and the party is in disarray,” Chukwu was quoted as saying in his letter to the Senate leadership.
Chukwu, who was elected under the LP platform in 2023, said the party had failed to uphold the values and discipline that initially attracted him and many other reform-minded politicians.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio congratulated the Enugu senator for his decision to join the ruling party, describing it as a welcome development.
“I congratulate Senator Kelvin Chukwu for joining the APC. Let me assure you that Nigeria will not be a one-party state because INEC will continue to register more parties,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President also urged all lawmakers to work together across party lines in the interest of national development.
Naijaonpoint reports that with Chukwu’s defection, the composition of the 10th Senate now stands at:
- APC – 73 senators
- PDP – 28 senators
- Labour Party – 4 senators
- NNPP – 1 senator
- SDP – 1 senator
- APGA – 2 senators
This brings the total number of senators in the red chamber to 109. Chukwu’s defection further consolidates the APC’s majority in the upper chamber, strengthening its control over legislative affairs.
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