By Our Correspondent
Senator Tony Nwoye has emerged as the new Minority Whip of the Senate following fresh defections that further strengthened the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Red Chamber.
Nwoye, who represents Anambra North Senatorial District, was unanimously chosen by the Senate minority caucus to fill the position after the exit of Senator Osita Ngwu from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
The leadership change followed Ngwu’s formal defection on Wednesday, a move that automatically created a vacancy in the minority leadership structure.
In a letter read on the floor of the Senate by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ngwu said his decision was driven by his desire to align politically with Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He described the APC as the most stable political platform in the country and said his defection was in the interest of his constituents and political future.
Senator Nwoye was elected into the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) before later defecting to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in late 2025.
In another major development, Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro also announced his defection from the PDP to the APC, citing what he described as persistent internal crises within the opposition party.
Similarly, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, formally confirmed his movement from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the APC.
Wadada, who has also been endorsed as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate for Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, said although he had joined the ruling party earlier, the final formalities of his defection were concluded on Wednesday.
Reacting to the growing wave of defections, Senator Adams Oshiomhole commended the lawmakers for handling their transitions peacefully and in line with constitutional provisions.
He said the increasing number of lawmakers moving into the APC reflected growing confidence in the party’s leadership and the administration of President Tinubu.
According to Oshiomhole, the trend shows that more politicians now see the APC as the most viable platform for governance and national development.
With the latest defections, the total number of APC senators has now risen to 91, further consolidating the party’s dominance in the upper legislative chamber ahead of the 2027 general elections.
