The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, has described Nigeria’s democracy as vibrant.
He made the comment at the plenary of the House while reading out a series of defection letters.
He said that there is freedom in the Nigerian democracy, as people enjoy the right to move from one party to another.
He dismissed concerns that the trend signalled an attempt to edge the country toward a one-party system, insisting instead that it underscores democratic freedom.
“This is to show the country that no party is stifled. People are leaving the majority party for the minority parties and the minority parties for the majority party. This is the beauty of democracy,” Kalu said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged as the biggest casualty of the latest round of defections, losing five members.
Among them are Abubakar Abdul from Niger State, who defected to the All Progressives Congress, while Yakubu Noma (Kebbi) joined the ADC and Ibrahim Mohammed (also from Kebbi) moved to the APC.
In Osun State, two lawmakers—Mudashiru Alani (Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa) and Adetunji Olusoji (Odo-Otin/Ifelodun/Boripe)—left the PDP for the Accord Party.
However, the APC also recorded losses. David Fuoh (Taraba) defected to the PDP, while Bashir Zubair (Kaduna) joined the ADC, highlighting the two-way nature of the shifting alliances.
The House adjourned plenary to Wednesday in honour of Kano lawmaker Hassan Danjuma, who died on April 10, 2026, at the age of 66.