Senator Kelvin Chukwu, representing Enugu East Senatorial District, has officially defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His defection was announced on Tuesday during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The declaration was greeted with applause from several APC lawmakers.
Explaining his decision, Chukwu cited the collapse of internal democracy and the “tattered state” of the Labour Party as his reasons for leaving.
“I am leaving the Labour Party because internal democracy has completely collapsed, and the party is in disarray,” Chukwu stated in his letter addressed to the Senate leadership.
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Elected under the LP platform in 2023, Chukwu said the party had failed to uphold the ideals and discipline that once attracted reform-minded politicians like himself.
In his reaction, Senate President Akpabio congratulated the Enugu senator for joining the APC, describing the move 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.
He further urged lawmakers to work together across party lines in the interest of national development.
With Chukwu’s defection, the current composition of the 10th Senate now stands as follows:
- 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 to 109, with Chukwu’s defection further consolidating the APC’s majority in the upper chamber.