Nwoye Emerges As Senate Minority Whip Amid Wave Of Defections To APC

Senator Tony Nwoye has been appointed as the new minority whip of the Senate following a series of defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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

His emergence comes after his predecessor, Senator Osita Ngwu, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC on Wednesday.

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

He 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 defecting 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 opposition PDP to the APC, citing persistent internal crises within his former party.

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

Senator Wadada, who has also been endorsed as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate for Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections, disclosed that although he had joined the APC earlier, the formalities of his defection were concluded today.

Reacting to the defections, Senator Adams Oshiomhole commended the lawmakers for making their decisions peacefully and in accordance with constitutional provisions. He noted that the increasing number of defections to the APC reflects confidence in the party’s leadership and the administration of President Tinubu.

The latest defections bring the total of APC lawmakers to 91.