Misryoum reports ADC lawmakers defect, while the party reviews nomination form costs and updates its 2026 primary timetable.
A wave of defections has shaken the African Democratic Congress, as the party lost senators and House seats and then moved quickly to revise its nomination costs.
According to Misryoum, the ADC said it lost two senators and 18 members of the House of Representatives after lawmakers moved to the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and other parties.. The party also reviewed its nomination form prices downward, including presidential nomination forms reduced to N90 million from N100 million, and other cuts across governorship, Senate, House, and State House of Assembly filings.
The review follows a political realignment tied to the movement of former ADC leaders and presidential hopefuls, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Peter Obi, to the NDC. Misryoum reports that leadership disputes and internal disagreements were cited as major reasons behind the departures.
Defection politics often accelerates when internal power struggles become visible, because lawmakers may prefer a platform that they believe offers clearer paths to election tickets.
Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, reportedly defected to the NDC, while Senator Enyinaya Abaribe, representing Abia South, moved to the Labour Party. Misryoum reports that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the defections in separate letters read at plenary.
In his letter, Umeh said he arrived at his decision after consultations involving family, constituents, and political allies, pointing to ongoing divisions within the ADC and related legal matters.. Abaribe, Misryoum says, described his decision as grounded in what he called a deepening leadership crisis and multiple legal issues facing the party.
Meanwhile, Akpabio’s remarks in the chamber added to the tension, with Misryoum noting that he suggested the ADC was effectively finished after the mass exits. House of Representatives members who left the ADC also sent letters to plenary, with 17 joining the NDC and one moving to the APC.
Misryoum reports that the lawmakers who defected from the House of Reps came from several states, including Kano, Anambra, Lagos, Edo, and Rivers. Their letters pointed to unresolved internal crises that, they said, affected their ability to serve constituents at national and ward levels.
The ADC, for its part, responded with a revised schedule for its 2026 primary elections and updated costs for nomination forms.. In a statement carried by Misryoum, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the sale of nomination forms will run from May 1 to May 4, 2026, with completed forms submitted between May 6 and May 13.
Misryoum adds that the party set screening for May 14 to May 15, results publication for May 17, and appeals between May 18 and May 19, followed by the publication of the final list on May 20.. Primary elections are slated for May 21 for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate, with governorship primaries on May 22 and presidential primary elections on May 23, leading into an NEC meeting and a special national convention.
This matters because, ahead of the 2027 general elections, nomination timelines and fee structures can determine who gets access to party tickets, while defections can quickly reshape bargaining power inside the legislature.