The Senate on Wednesday appointed Senator Tony Nwoye as the brand new Minority Whip, following a recent wave of defections that has additional boosted the numerical power of the All Progressives Congress within the higher chamber.
Nwoye, who represents Anambra North Senatorial District, was unanimously chosen by the Senate minority caucus to fill the emptiness created by the exit of his predecessor.
His emergence comes on the heels of the defection of former Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, from the Peoples Democratic Occasion to the APC on Wednesday, one in all a number of high-profile crossovers that altered the stability throughout the opposition ranks.
In a letter learn on the ground by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ngwu mentioned his resolution was pushed by the necessity to align with Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and President Bola Tinubu.
He additionally described the APC as probably the most steady political platform within the nation.
Nwoye was elected into the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Occasion earlier than defecting to the African Democratic Congress in late 2025, positioning him throughout the opposition bloc previous to his new management function.
The reshuffle in minority management got here amid a broader sample of defections that has steadily eroded the power of opposition events within the Senate because the inauguration of the tenth Nationwide Meeting.
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In a associated growth, Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro, representing Gombe South, additionally introduced his defection from the PDP to the APC, citing inside crises throughout the opposition get together.
Equally, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, formally introduced his defection from the Social Democratic Occasion to the APC.
Wadada, who has additionally been endorsed because the APC consensus governorship candidate for Nasarawa State forward of the 2027 elections, mentioned he had beforehand aligned with the ruling get together however accomplished the formal procedures of his defection on Wednesday.
Reacting to the developments, Senator Adams Oshiomhole recommended the lawmakers, describing their defections as voluntary and according to constitutional provisions.
He mentioned the growing motion of legislators into the APC displays rising confidence within the get together’s management and the administration of President Tinubu.
With the newest defections, the APC’s power within the Senate has risen to 91 lawmakers—additional consolidating its dominance and tightening its grip on legislative proceedings as political realignments collect tempo forward of the 2027 basic elections.