By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday suffered another setback in the Senate as the lawmaker representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Senator Benson Agadaga, formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing internal collapse, lack of discipline, and erosion of unity within his former party.
Agadaga’s resignation was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary. In it, the Bayelsa-born lawmaker declared that his decision to leave the PDP was borne out of “deep reflection” and “extensive consultations,” adding that the once-formidable political platform had become a shadow of itself.
He said, “This is a notice of my defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. The Bible says there is a time for everything. I believe this is the time for me to move on.”
He lamented that the PDP, which once prided itself as Africa’s largest political party, had descended into chaos and lost its founding vision.
He said, “It is most astonishing and deeply disheartening to observe that the world’s largest political party in Africa has been torn into shreds due to internal wrangling. The centre can no longer hold. The umbrella has been bastardised, and it is leaking profusely.”
Agadaga, who had a long career in Bayelsa State’s public service before joining the Senate, recalled that his political rise was nurtured under the PDP when it was “intact and purposeful.”
He served in various capacities, including as Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism; Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board; Special Adviser on Establishment Affairs; and Chief of Staff to the Bayelsa State Government.
He said, “The fact that I stand today as a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is due to the benevolence of the Peoples Democratic Party when it was united and visionary.
“However, the party has lost its moral compass and can no longer function as a credible opposition force.”
He accused the PDP of drifting into confusion, driven by self-interest and power struggles, which have crippled its effectiveness in national politics.
“The incongruousness of the opposition in political diplomacy has made it impossible for the PDP to play its expected role in deepening democracy,” he added.
Agadaga said his defection to the APC was not just a personal decision but a statement of faith in the need for a new political direction.
“After extensive consultations, I have finally arrived at the inevitable conclusion that embracing progressivism, thinking progressively, and acting progressively is the only way to renew hope for all Nigerians,” he said.
He formally announced, “I am therefore constrained to declare my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party and to announce my movement to the All Progressives Congress from today, October 29, 2025.”
His defection further weakens the PDP’s strength in the Senate and underscores the growing influence of the APC in the South-South region, where the opposition party had long held sway since 1999.
Political observers described Agadaga’s move as both symbolic and strategic, coming at a time when the ruling party is consolidating its presence in regions that had traditionally been PDP strongholds.
With his defection, the numerical gap between the APC and PDP in the Senate has widened, reinforcing the ruling party’s dominance and signalling deeper troubles for the main opposition ahead of future political contests.
