By Anwar Usman
Fresh political realignments rocked the House of Representatives on Thursday as five lawmakers abandoned the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party for the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among those who switched parties were Muhammed El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency.
Muhammed El-Rufai defected from the APC to the NDC, a development political observers view as a strong indication of the deepening rift between his father and the ruling party.
The political realignment was contained in a statement read by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Thursday.
Muhammed El-Rufai’s exit came months after speculations over his political future following the increasing criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration by his father, Nasir El-Rufai.
The former governor, once a key ally of Tinubu and a prominent APC figure, has in recent months openly accused the ruling party of abandoning internal democracy and sidelining loyal stakeholders.
Joshua Obika, representing Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kuje/Kwali Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory also joined the NDC.
In the same vein, Abdulhakeem Kamilu, representing Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency of Kano State, dumped the ADC for the NDC, citing what he described as unresolved leadership issues within the party.
In another development, two lawmakers from Kaduna State, Suleiman Richifa and Umar Ajilo, defected from the PDP to the ADC.
The lawmakers linked their defection to the lingering crisis within the PDP at both the state and national levels.
The latest defections came barely days after 17 lawmakers reportedly aligned with the NDC, underscoring growing efforts by opposition politicians to build a coalition capable of challenging the APC in the 2027 elections.
The development further altered the political composition of the House and fuelled speculations that more defections may occur in the coming months as political consultations intensify ahead of the next election cycle.
