Nwoye Becomes Minority Whip In APC-dominated Senate

The Senate has appointed Senator Tony Nwoye as the new Minority Whip following a wave of defections that has further strengthened the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upper chamber.

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Nwoye, who represents Anambra North Senatorial District, was unanimously selected by the senate minority caucus to assume the position.

His appointment follows the defection of his predecessor, Senator Osita Ngwu, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC on Wednesday.

In a letter read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ngwu said his decision was driven by the need to align with Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah and President Bola Tinubu.

He also described the APC as the most stable political platform in the country.

Senator Nwoye was elected into the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) before moving to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in late 2025.

In a related development, Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro, representing Gombe South, also announced his defection from the PDP to the APC, citing internal crises within the opposition party.

Similarly, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, formally announced his defection from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the APC.

Wadada, who has also been endorsed as the APC consensus governorship candidate for Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections, said he had previously aligned with the ruling party but completed the formal procedures of his defection on Wednesday.

Reacting to the developments, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, commended the lawmakers, describing their defections as voluntary and consistent with constitutional provisions.

He said the increasing movement of legislators into the APC reflects growing confidence in the party’s leadership and the administration of President Tinubu.

With the latest defections, the APC’s strength in the Senate has risen to 91 lawmakers.

Following the latest defections, the senate composition now stands as follows: APC 91, ADC 9, PDP 4, Accord 1, and NDC 1, while APGA and the Labour Party have no representation.

There are three vacant seats following the deaths of Senators Ifeanyi Ubah, Barinada Mpigi, and Uche Ekwunife Ezea, while Senator Ibrahim Jimoh, has resigned after his appointment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative Extraordinary and Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the United Nations (UN).