Shock Defection: Kebbi Senators Set to Dump PDP for APC After Tinubu Meeting.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu, Northern Bureau Chief of Democracy Online Newspapers
May 9, 2025
In a move that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape, all three Senators representing Kebbi State have finalized their defection from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), following a high-level meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The dramatic realignment was confirmed by Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who took to social media to break the news. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today received Governors, former Governors, and key political stakeholders from Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States. Led by APC Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, the delegation informed the President that all three PDP Senators from Kebbi will officially defect to the APC on the Senate floor next Tuesday,” Olusegun wrote.
He later named the defecting lawmakers as Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Senator Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South). According to his update, the Senators have “completed their transition processes” and will formally join the APC in a high-profile announcement during Senate proceedings.
This mass defection, seen by analysts as a major coup for the APC in the North-West, underscores President Tinubu’s deepening grip on the region’s political dynamics as the 2027 general elections begin to loom on the horizon. Sources close to the matter reveal that discussions between the Senators and top APC figures have been ongoing for weeks, culminating in the closed-door meeting with the President, where final assurances were reportedly given.
Political observers believe the Senators’ decision may have been driven by multiple factors — including internal cracks within the PDP’s state structure, recent tensions over leadership direction at the national level, and growing pressure to align with Tinubu’s administration amid a shifting national consensus.
The PDP is yet to issue an official statement, but a senior party official, who spoke under anonymity, described the defection as “a betrayal of the party’s mandate and a desperate attempt at political survival.” He added, “This is not about ideology. It’s about proximity to power and personal political preservation.”
However, APC leaders have welcomed the development, hailing it as a “testament to the confidence in President Tinubu’s leadership and vision.” APC Chairman Ganduje, speaking to reporters after the meeting, emphasized that “the North-West remains a critical pillar of the party’s national strategy,” and promised further defections from opposition strongholds in the coming months.
In Kebbi State, the defections are already reshaping the political terrain. With all three Senate seats now under the APC umbrella, the party has consolidated its hold on both the legislative and executive arms in the state. Grassroots mobilizers are said to be preparing for a statewide campaign to rally support for the newly converted Senators, who will now have to justify their switch to an electorate that elected them under the PDP banner.
With their public switch scheduled for Tuesday’s Senate sitting, all eyes will be on the National Assembly, where the formal announcement is expected to generate heated debate and potentially trigger further shifts among lawmakers across the country.
As Nigeria inches toward another electoral cycle, the Kebbi defection saga serves as a clear signal: political loyalty is increasingly fluid — and President Tinubu is tightening his hold where it matters most.
